Islamabad, 28 August 2022 (TDI): An additional nine million pediatric and adult doses arrived from the US on August 26 in collaboration with COVAX.
The delivery of the consignment is a part of the United States (US) commitment to give 77 million doses of COVID-19 vaccinations to Pakistan.
For more on how the United States and Pakistan are working together to protect the health of the Pakistani people, see the full video here: https://t.co/Xh7jaGQL82
— U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) August 27, 2022
The US is Pakistan’s greatest source of COVID-19 vaccinations. In addition to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, it recently gave four mobile testing facilities to Pakistan’s National Institute of Health through USAID, amounting to $4.6 million.
These laboratories have improved Pakistan’s ability to detect COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, particularly in remote and underserved areas.
The Ambassador of the US to Pakistan, Donald Blome lauded the robust bilateral health collaboration as the US and Pakistan celebrated 75 years of bilateral relations.
“The vaccines, supplies, & training we have provided to Pakistan, coupled with the expertise & dedication of Pakistan’s healthcare professionals, will allow our two countries to continue working together to combat COVID-19 & safeguard the health & safety of the Pakistani people.”
It is pertinent to note that an additional $20 million in USAID assistance is also planned to boost Pakistan’s ongoing vaccination efforts.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the US has donated almost $70.4 million in direct assistance and $13.8 million in in-kind assistance to the Pakistani people in their fight against COVID-19.
Previously, the US donated more than 1.2 million N95 masks, 96,000 surgical masks, 52,000 protective eyewear, one million COVID-19 fast diagnostic tests, 1,200 pulse oximeters, and 200 ventilators to 64 Pakistani hospitals.
All of the above-mentioned equipment helped save lives and safeguard people across the country. Likewise, the US government trained over 50,000 health workers in Pakistan.
These included 30,000 women as well, on home-based care for COVID-19 patients. It also established a national network of disease surveillance and response units and teams, providing infrastructure to combat the current pandemic & building resiliency for the future.
Moreover, close collaboration between US and Pakistani authorities, doctors, nurses, and logistics experts continues to provide tangible, life-saving benefits.
Along these lines, every additional vaccine given improves our ability to prevent future COVID-19 outbreaks. The US will continue to collaborate with our Pakistani partners to build local capacity and infrastructure to tackle COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.
