US donates 9m more Covid-19 doses to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: As part of the US commitment to provide 77 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Pakistan, an additional nine million pediatric and adult doses — in partnership with COVAX — arrived on August 26.

The US is the single largest donor of Covid-19 vaccines to Pakistan. In addition to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the US recently donated four mobile testing laboratories worth $4.6 million to Pakistan’s National Institute of Health under USAID.

These labs strengthened Pakistan’s ability to diagnose Covid-19 and other communicable diseases, especially in remote areas. Appreciating the health cooperation and commemorating Pak-US 75-year relations, Ambassador Blome said, “The vaccines, supplies, and training we have provided to Pakistan, coupled with the expertise and dedication of Pakistan’s healthcare professionals, will allow the two countries to continue working to combat Covid-19 and safeguard the health and safety of the Pakistani people.”

An additional $20m in USAID funding is also planned to support ongoing vaccination efforts in Pakistan. Since the start of the pandemic, the US government has provided nearly $70.4m in direct support and $13.8m in in-kind support to help people fight Covid-19 in Pakistan.

Previously, the US provided Pakistan with more than 1.2 million N95 masks, 96,000 surgical masks, 52,000 protective goggles, one million Covid-19 rapid diagnostic tests, 1,200 pulse oximeters, and 200 ventilators for 64 Pakistani hospitals – all of which have helped save lives and protect people across Pakistan.

The US also trained over 50,000 health workers, including 30,000 women, across Pakistan on home-based care for Covid-19 patients and established a national network of disease surveillance and response unit teams, providing an infrastructure to combat the current pandemic and building resiliency for the future.

The close coordination between the US and Pakistani authorities, doctors, nurses, and logistics professionals continues to produce tangible, life-saving results. Every additional vaccine administered boosts our ability to prevent future Covid-19 waves. The US will continue working with Pakistani friends to help strengthen local capacity and infrastructure to combat Covid-19 and other communicable diseases.