US likely to send more vaccines to Bangladesh: Miller

ZOOMBANGLA DESK: US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller has said his country is expected to donate more COVID vaccines to Bangladesh in coming days, while handing over one million more doses of US’s Pfizer vaccine in the capital, BSS reports.

“It will not be the last such gift. We expect further vaccine arrivals soon,” he said during the handing over ceremony at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport here on Wednesday afternoon.

Health Service Division Secretary Lokman Hossian Miah received the one million Pfizer vaccines. With the arrival of the one million doses of Moderna vaccines, the total number of vaccines gifted by the US rose to 6.5 million.

The US ambassador 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.

“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,” Miller said. ?

This shipment of Pfizer vaccines is given for free and is designed to bolster the ongoing effort to protect Bangladeshis from the deadly coronavirus, he added.

The envoy said 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 while Bangladesh is one of the first nations 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,” he said. ??

Miller said these Pfizer vaccines arrive at a crucial time to bolster the ongoing roll-out of national vaccination campaign in Bangladesh and the US is proud to partner with Dhaka in the effort to get as many vaccinations into the arms of as many people as possible.??

“We continue to stand together with the people of Bangladesh no matter how challenging this pandemic may be,” he said.

Noting that the US and Bangladesh have been close partners for the past five decades, Miller said, “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.”

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 US continues to work closely with Bangladesh to support the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign and strengthen the government’s response to the pandemic.