Bishop of Winchester asks about provision of coronavirus vaccines in developing countries

The Bishop of Winchester received the following written answer on 10th March 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Winchester asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to assist developing countries to develop a working cold-chain storage system for storing COVID-19 vaccines at the required temperatures.

Lord Ahmed of Wimbledon (Con, FCDO): The UK is committed to supporting rapid and equitable access to safe and effective vaccines. This includes strengthening country health systems, and ensuring that new vaccines are appropriate for various settings, such as rural areas. The UK’s £1.65 billion commitment to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance over five years includes support to strengthen vaccine supply chains, and improve cold chain technologies. Our support to public-private partnerships such as the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) also includes developing heat-stable vaccines that can be distributed through existing immunisation cold chains, or without refrigeration.

Hansard