COVID-19: U.S delivers 500m vaccines to over 110 countries

Mon, Mar 21, 2022
By editor
2 MIN READ

Foreign

By Kennedy Nnamani

THE United States has said that it has shared over 500 million safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses to about 110 countries and economies around the world. This was made known by Antony J Blinken, the U.S Secretary of State, in a press statement signed on March 17, 2022.

The secretary also said that over 120 countries had also received nearly $20 billion in health, humanitarian, economic, and development assistance. According to him, these supports include “rapid response support for urgent health needs and technical assistance to expand vaccine access.”

“We have also invested and supported the expansion of regional COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing in Africa and Asia. Today, we continue to work tirelessly with governments and international organizations, vaccine producers, NGOs, the private sector, and others to deliver vaccines, get shots in arms, increase testing and treatment, support and protect healthcare workers, and more,” he said

While noting that the world could face other variants of the virus, Blinken underlined the need for collective efforts to combat the pandemic.

“This work is critical because this pandemic is not over.  Many lives are still at risk globally as countries contend with Omicron and we face the possibility of new variants.  The United States will continue to work with partners and communities at every level to save lives and better prepare for future pandemics,” he said.

In the same vein, Samantha Power, Administrator of the U.S Agency for International Development, in a press statement, also remarked that this support from the U.S is in response to President Biden’s extraordinary pledge to “donate more than 1.2 billion safe and effective shots worldwide, with no expectations in return.”

According to Power, “U.S. vaccine donations have helped dramatically boost supply to low- and middle-income countries, but many countries need more help installing ultra-cold chain freezers to stop doses from spoiling, transporting vaccines to rural populations living miles from the nearest health facility, and countering widespread myths that hurt public trust in vaccines.”

In the statement, the USAID is leading Global VAX to intensify financial, technical, and diplomatic support to help turn vaccines into vaccinations to majorly low income countries.

Some of the benefiting countries include, Paraguay, which has received two million Pfizer vaccine doses, Zambia gets nearly two million vaccines through more than 500 health facilities, Malawi, Thailand, Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda and Zambia.

KN

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