ISLAMABAD: US President Joe Biden’s administration will ship 2.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Pakistan, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday.
The White House earlier this month laid out a plan for the United States to donate 80 million surplus COVID-19 vaccine doses to the world by the end of June.
“I wanted to note for all of you that, today, thanks to the President’s commitment to playing a leading role in ending the pandemic everywhere, 2 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine will begin to ship to Peru from the United States, and 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine will ship to Pakistan,” Psaki told a press briefing.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing the distribution list for 55 million of the 80 million doses of America’s own vaccine supply President Biden has pledged to allocate by the end of June in service of ending the pandemic globally,” the White House had announced on June 21. “For these 80 million doses, the US will share 75 percent through COVAX and 25 percent will be targeted to help deal with surges around the world.”
The allocation plan for the first 55 million doses includes approximately 41 million to be shared through COVAX, with the following allocations:
Approximately 14 million for Latin America and the Caribbean to the following: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, Dominican Republic, Panama, and Costa Rica;
Approximately 16 million for Asia to the following: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bhutan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Cambodia, and the Pacific Islands;
Approximately 10 million for Africa to be shared with countries that will be selected in coordination with the African Union;
Approximately 14 million – or 25 percent of these 55 million vaccines – will be shared with regional priorities and other recipients, such as: Colombia, Argentina, Haiti, other CARICOM countries, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Yemen, Tunisia, Oman, West Bank and Gaza, Ukraine, Kosovo, Georgia, Moldova, and Bosnia.
Early this month, on June 19, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) delivered a shipment of emergency medical supplies to Pakistan, including one million pieces of critical personal protective equipment to help protect Pakistan’s frontline health care workers and medical professionals.
According to the US embassy, since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, the “United States has delivered $ 49.7 million in assistance through our partnership with the government of Pakistan.”
Pakistan has so far fully or partially vaccinated almost 15.5 million people, mostly with the Chinese Sinopharm or Sinovac jabs.
