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Thursday March 28, 2024

Pakistan gets 3 million more Moderna jabs from US

US has donated 5.5 million Moderna vaccine doses to Pakistan till date

By Amina Amir & Web Desk
July 29, 2021
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan (right) and US Embassy Chargé d’affaires Angela P Aggeler (left) a vaccine handover ceremony on July 29, 2021. — Twitter
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan (right) and US Embassy Chargé d’affaires Angela P Aggeler (left) a vaccine handover ceremony on July 29, 2021. — Twitter

Pakistan received three million  more Moderna vaccine   doses from the United States,  a statement from the US Embassy in Islamabad said Thursday, which were donated in partnership with the COVAX facility and the UNICEF.

The donation was part of the 80 million doses the US is sharing with the world to facilitate equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines, which are essential to ending the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said.

Speaking on the occasion, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said that in the last three days, Pakistan administered record vaccines jabs, with an aim to get 70% population inoculated by the end of this year.

The consignment had reached Islamabad on Monday, July 26, while it was officially handed over to the Pakistani government today. Earlier, Pakistan had received 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine from the US which, according to Dr Faisal, is evidence of the strong ties between Islamabad and Washington.

"As President Biden has said, the United States is committed to bringing the same urgency to international vaccination efforts that we have demonstrated at home," the embassy's statement further said.

US Embassy Chargé d’affaires Angela P Aggeler said: “The arrival of these three million doses is in addition to the 2.5 million doses the United States donated earlier this month to the people of Pakistan."

The US has delivered more than $50 million in COVID-19 assistance through its partnership with the Pakistani government, the statement further read.

Separately, Pakistan has also received 2.4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine since May as part of the COVAX effort.