India donates 200000 vaccines to protect UN blue helmets against COVID

India donates 200000 vaccines to protect UN blue helmets against COVID

GENEVA — India shipped out 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines on Saturday to inoculate UN blue helmets serving in peacekeeping missions.The donated AstraZeneca vaccines left Mumbai for the Danish capital of Copenhagen, where they will be safely stored and distributed to UN peacekeepers serving in various missions.Lauding India as “a longstanding and steadfast supporter of peacekeeping”, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said, “an effective roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine to all peacekeepers is a key priority for the United Nations in order to protect our personnel and their capacity to continue their crucial work, help protect vulnerable communities and deliver on their mandates”.He thanked the government and people of India for their generous donation to safeguard peacekeeping personnel and “enable them to continue their life-saving work in a safe manner.”Vaccinating peacekeepersThe head of UN Operational Support, Atul Khare, said the “important donation” would ensure that UN peacekeepers remain healthy and “deliver in some of the most difficult environments in the world without relying on already stretched national health systems or ongoing COVAX