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Vaccinating the world, organizations prepare to administer COVID-19 vaccine when ready

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Humanitarian groups are preparing to vaccinate billions of people around the world once a COVID-19 vaccine is complete.

UNICEF, also known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, which is one of the world’s largest provider of vaccines, is making sure underserved and developing countries will be able to distribute the vaccine safely.

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Robert Matthews, with UNICEF, says, “Imagine if you didn’t have a syringe even if you had the vaccine.”

Matthews is working with more than 190 countries to make sure people are given the drug safely.

“For us it is looking to ensure injection safety, looking to ensure that there’s no risk of stock out of syringes,” Matthews said.

UNICEF says it will distribute the syringes to areas most in need, but those details haven’t been decided yet.

The syringes are meant to make sure people aren’t reusing needles and aren’t being exposed to other blood-borne diseases.

“When you then push the plunger down after you’ve delivered the dose, if you try and you break the syringe. So you can only use it once,” Matthews said.

Right now, more than half a billion syringes have been ordered. They will be stored until a COVID-19 vaccine is ready to be given to the public.