US Ambassador Earl R Miller on Tuesday welcomed the arrival of 2.5 million doses of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, a gift from the American people, in Bangladesh.
The Pfizer jabs build on earlier donations of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for a total of nine million doses donated by the US government and the American people to date, according to a press release.
The latest shipment of Pfizer doses arrived via chartered cargo aircraft at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the early hours of Tuesday.
Ambassador Miller said, “These Pfizer vaccines will help Bangladesh continue to expand vaccination eligibility requirements and reach many more people, including youth.
“The United States is proud to partner with the Government of Bangladesh in the effort to get as many vaccinations into the arms of as many people as possible.”
This delivery of Pfizer shots comes as part of the broader commitment by the United States to lead the global Covid-19 response by donating one billion doses of Pfizer vaccine around the world – free of charge – through 2022. This is the largest-ever purchase and donation of Covid vaccines by a single country to date, read the release.
The United States has donated $4 billion to support the worldwide COVAX effort, making the United States the world’s largest donor for equitable global Covid-19 vaccine access.
In addition to vaccine donations, the United States continues to work closely with Bangladesh to support the national Covid-19 vaccination campaign and strengthen the government’s response to the pandemic.
US investments trained more than 6,000 service providers and healthcare professionals to administer vaccines safely and efficiently and protect the health of Bangladeshis.
To date, the United States has contributed over $96 million in Covid-related development and humanitarian assistance from USAID, the US Department of Defense, the US Department of State, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the press statement.
This assistance has helped save lives and treated individuals infected with Covid, strengthened testing capacity and monitoring, enhanced case management and infection prevention and control practices, and improved the supply chain and logistics management systems.
US support also focuses on protecting front line workers and increasing the public knowledge about Covid-19, including ways to protect themselves.
