1 in 20 Covid-19 vaccines came through Dubai on Emirates, airline says

59 million doses have been transported to 50 destinations by Emirates SkyCargo

A worker attaches Covax stickers to a shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine flown by Emirates airline to Felix Houphouet Boigny International Airport in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. AFP

The AstraZeneca vaccine shipment is unloaded from a plane in Abidjan. Ivory Coast received 504,000 doses of the vaccine. AFP

A shipment of more than 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrives in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, as part of the Covax initiative. AFP

The shipment of AstraZeneca vaccine is part of the Covax initiative, a global effort to procure and distribute shots free of charge. AFP

Boxes of the AstraZeneca vaccine are unloaded from an Emirates flight in the Ivory Coast. AFP

Emirates delivers 504,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. AFP

One in every 20 Covid-19 vaccines administered around the world has gone through Dubai via Emirates SkyCargo, according to the airline.

Since October 2020, 59 million doses of six different vaccines have been transported to 50 destinations by the Dubai-based carrier.

It is estimated that around one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered around the world.

The air freight division of Emirates airline has been a key player in transporting Covid-19 vaccines, as well as other essential pharmaceuticals, PPE and food supplies during the pandemic.

Aid is loaded onto an Emirates SkyCargo aircraft to be delivered to Beirut on Saturday. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office

In January, Emirates SkyCargo teamed up with logistics and port company DP World, Dubai Airports and International Humanitarian City, a global hub for dealing with humanitarian emergencies, to form the Dubai Vaccine Logistics Alliance.

The alliance works to facilitate the rapid transport of Covid-19 vaccines and related medical supplies through Dubai to developing countries.

In February 2021, Emirates SkyCargo also started working with Unicef to transport Covid-19 vaccines under the Covax initiative, which aims to brings vaccines to poorer countries.

In Abu Dhabi, the Hope Consortium aims to deliver billions of Covid-19 vaccine doses around the world by the end of the year.

Launched last November, the initiative is run by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, Etihad Cargo, Abu Dhabi Ports Company, healthcare procurement system Rafed, which is part of ADQ, and SkyCell, which manufactures temperature-controlled airfreight containers.

Earlier this month, the Hope Consortium took delivery of 32 additional ultra-cold freezers for vaccine storage.

The upgrade boosted the centre’s ultra-cold storage capacity, which keeps vials at minus 80°C, from four million to 11.4 million doses.

The UAE has also made rapid progress in vaccinating its own citizens and residents against Covid-19, with more than 10 million doses of vaccines administered to date.

Emirates recently operated a special flight EK2021, to celebrate the UAE’s progress in its vaccination drive.

Coronavirus: the latest from India in pictures

Workers carry biodegradable cardboard beds at a makeshift ward set up at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in south Delhi. Bloomberg

Health workers turn away an ambulance at the main entrance of Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital in India's capital New Delhi. Bloomberg

Harsh Vardhan, India's health minister, inspects a Covid-19 centre in the capital city of New Delhi. India is now the global coronavirus hotspot, setting daily new records for the world's highest number of cases. Bloomberg

People carry oxygen cylinders after refilling them at a factory amid a surge in coronavirus cases in India's western city of Ahmedabad. Reuters

Workers prepare beds at a makeshift Covid-19 ward set up at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in south Delhi. Bloomberg

A man suffering from shortness of breath receives free oxygen inside his car at a gurudwara, Sikh temple, amid the spread of coronavirus, in northern Indian city of Ghaziabad. Reuters

A board indicates unavailability of beds at Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital in India's capital New Delhi. Bloomberg

Relatives offer prayers before they bury the body of a Covid-19 victim in Guwahati, the capital of north-east Indian state Assam. AP Photo

A sign indicates unavailability of oxygen at the Covid-19 care centre set up at the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex in New Delhi. Bloomberg

A patient wearing an oxygen mask looks on as his wife holds a battery-operated fan as they wait inside an auto-rickshaw to enter a Covid-19 hospital, in western Indian city of Ahmedabad. Reuters

A man rides a bicycle through a deserted market area in the northern Indian city of Amritsar amid the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19. AFP

Health workers outside a Covid-19 ward set up at the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex in New Delhi. Bloomberg

Patients inside a Covid-19 ward set up at the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex in New Delhi. Bloomberg