U.S. Ambassador Earl R. Miller welcomed the arrival of one million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh, donated by the United States as part of the U.S. Government’s commitment to purchase and donate 500 million doses of Pfizer vaccines globally. The Pfizer vaccines build on earlier donations of Moderna vaccines for a total of 6.5 million doses gifted by the U.S. Government and the American people to the people of Bangladesh.
Senior Secretary of the Health Service Division Lokman Hossian Miah, Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Professor Abul Bashar Mohammad Khurshid Alam, and other Government of Bangladesh officials joined Ambassador Miller and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Kathryn Stevens to receive the shipment of vaccines, facilitated through COVAX, at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
“We are pleased to donate another one million vaccines as a gift from the American people to the people of Bangladesh, and we are grateful to COVAX for facilitating the delivery. Donating vaccines is just one part of our broader partnership with Bangladesh to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States is the largest donor of COVID-19 assistance to Bangladesh, contributing not only 6.5 million doses of vaccines – so far – but also over $96 million to battle the pandemic.” said Ambassador Miller.
This delivery of Pfizer vaccines comes as part of the broader commitment by President Biden and the United States to lead the global COVID-19 response by donating 500 million doses of Pfizer vaccine around the world—the largest-ever purchase and donation of COVID vaccines by a single country to date. The United States has already committed $2 billion to support the worldwide COVAX effort, with a pledge of an additional $2 billion, 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. U.S. investments trained thousands of healthcare providers and volunteers 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 U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This assistance has helped save lives and treated individuals infected with COVID-19, strengthened testing capacity and monitoring, enhanced case management and infection prevention and control practices, and improved the supply chain and logistics management systems. U.S. support also focuses on protecting front line workers and increasing the public’s knowledge about COVID-19, including ways to protect themselves.
Remarks of Ambassador Miller at the Pfizer Vaccine Delivery
As-salamu alaikum (AH-sa-la-mu a-LAY-koom), nomoshkar (NO-mowsh-kar) and good evening.
It is a pleasure to once again welcome a life-saving donation of one million COVID-19 vaccines—a gift from the United States and the American people to the people of Bangladesh.
This shipment of Pfizer vaccines is given freely and is designed to bolster the ongoing effort to protect Bangladeshis from the coronavirus.
We are pleased to donate another one million vaccines as a gift from the American people to the people of Bangladesh, and we are grateful to COVAX for facilitating the delivery.
With this latest delivery, the United States has now gifted a total of 6.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to date. It will not be the last such gift. We expect further vaccine arrivals soon.
This donation is part of fulfilling President Biden’s commitment to purchase and donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to countries around the world. Bangladesh is one of the first countries to benefit from this initiative.
Donating vaccines is also just one part of our broader partnership with Bangladesh, where the United States is the largest donor of COVID-19 assistance in this country, contributing not only 6.5 million doses of vaccines – so far – but also over $96 million to battle the pandemic.
This partnership between our countries has helped improve infection prevention and control; trained medical professionals; provided emergency medical supplies, including ventilators and PPE; enhanced laboratory and testing capacity, improved the quality of care and treatment for COVID-19 patients, and helped people weather the economic impacts of the pandemic.
These Pfizer vaccines arrive at a crucial time to bolster the ongoing roll-out of the national vaccination campaign. 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 is not an easy task. Rolling out a vaccination campaign of such magnitude is an unprecedented challenge – not only for Bangladesh, but for each and every country around the world.
With this in mind, we are grateful for the dedication and courage among Bangladeshi healthcare providers, clinic managers, and volunteers who have been tasked with executing a successful vaccination campaign.
Please know that we stand with you—and we continue to stand together with the people of Bangladesh no matter how challenging this pandemic may be.
The United States and Bangladesh have been close partners for the past five decades, working together to help past and present generations achieve healthier and more prosperous lives for themselves and their families.
Today, our partnership is stronger than ever as we face the challenge of overcoming COVID-19 together—Bangladeshis, Americans, and all people around the world.
