The United States (US) has welcomed arrival of 106,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine in Bangladesh. The consignment of vaccine reached here on Monday night.
This shipment was made possible through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, a global initiative to support equitable access to Covid-19 vaccine.
The United States recently announced an initial $2 billion obligation – of a total planned $4 billion – to GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance to support the COVAX making the US as the largest donor for equitable global Covid-19 vaccine access, a US embassy press release said here.
“We are committed to working shoulder to shoulder with the Government of Bangladesh to get through this unprecedented global health crisis and put systems in place so we are more prepared for and resilient in future crises,” said the release quoting US ambassador to Bangladesh, Earl Miller
Noting that the US, Bangladesh, and global partners are working closely together to combat the pandemic, the envoy said, “The Covid-19 pandemic underscores that no nation can act alone against a global pandemic.”
The US contributions to COVAX, through?the US Agency for International Development (USAID),?will support the purchase and delivery of safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines for the world’s most vulnerable and at-risk populations in 92 low- and middle-income countries.
This support is critical to controlling the pandemic, slowing the emergence of new variants, and helping to restart the global economy, said the embassy.
The US has worked closely with Bangladesh to protect the health of Bangladeshis and strengthen the government’s response to Covid-19, contributing over $76 million to date in development and humanitarian assistance from USAID, the US Department of Defense (DOD), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Additional US Covid response assistance included supplying 100 state-of-the-art US manufactured ventilators, gas analyzers to allow Bangladesh to produce its own ventilators; and tens of thousands of pieces of locally-produced personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers across Bangladesh, the release added.
