We all know that, as Teck employees, we are responsible for ensuring not just our own health and safety, but also the health and safety of those around us.
That individual responsibility is a key principle of Courageous Safety Leadership, our health and safety policy, and it applies to every aspect of our work.
It also applies to the decision that each of us makes to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Full vaccination significantly reduces the chances of becoming seriously ill or dying from COVID-19, including the Delta variant, and sharply reduces the transmission of the virus to others. With more than 8 billion doses of the vaccine administered worldwide to date, the evidence is clear that vaccines are overwhelmingly safe and extremely effective.
Watch a video message from President and CEO Don Lindsay, in which he addresses the critical importance of vaccination in our ongoing fight against COVID-19 and is joined by Dr. Joshua Tepper, Teck’s Chief Medical Officer, to answer a number of frequently asked questions about the virus and the vaccine.
Supporting Global Access to COVID-19 Vaccines
In July, Teck announced a $500,000 donation to UNICEF Canada in support of the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX) to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccination worldwide. This donation is in addition to a previous $1 million contribution made by Teck to UNICEF Canada for the COVAX program in March 2021.
Teck's contribution to UNICEF will help support vaccination efforts in countries most in need, and will support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The contribution will ensure that over 100,000 healthcare workers in the most difficult to reach communities receive vaccination from COVID-19, and will establish permanent infrastructure to serve the future needs of women and children.
COVAX is a global collaboration co-led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and World Health Organization (WHO), and includes UNICEF, which leads procurement and delivery, as well as getting countries ready to receive vaccines. It is currently targeting 190 countries having access to 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses available for delivery by the end of 2021. For more information on COVAX, please visit UNICEF Canada's website.
