2.5m doses of Moderna vaccine arrive in Pakistan

LAHORE: As many as 2.5 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States arrived at the Islamabad International Airport on Friday. These vaccines are being delivered to the Pakistani people in collaboration with the COVAX global vaccine initiative, UNICEF, and the Government of Pakistan.

Commenting on the development, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US delivery of 2.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine to Pakistan “highlights our enduring friendship and cooperation on COVID-19. We are committed to bringing this pandemic to an end around the world.”

Prime Minister Special Assistant on Health, Dr Faisal Sultan tweeted to welcome the arrival of vaccine “to add to our covid vaccination efforts and reflective of Pak-US friendship.” The donation is part of the 80 million doses the United States has pledged with the world in a bid to ensure equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines for every country of the world. The initiative is essential to stem the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Embassy Chargé d’affaires Angela P. Aggeler said, “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”.

She added that the United States Mission to Pakistan was pleased to share those safe and effective vaccines with the people of Pakistan. These vaccines would save lives and help Pakistanemerge from the crisis, which had devastated so many families and communities in both countries. “A vaccinated public will also help bring back the economic and social interactions we all welcome. We appreciate the ongoing collaboration with the Pakistani government and our international partners to make this delivery and these goals a reality,” Angela P. Aggeler asserted.

She further told that in addition to recent vaccine donation, the United States had already delivered nearly $50 million in COVID assistance through a partnership with the Pakistani government. Since the start of the pandemic, both countries had worked together to improve infection prevention and control, enhance patient care, expand laboratory testing, disease monitoring, and case tracking in all districts for supporting frontline healthcare workers.