Kigali: As part of the United States’ continued commitment to fighting COVID-19, this weekend an additional 751,140 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will arrive in Rwanda as a gift from the people of the United States. This donation brings the total current U.S. vaccine donation for Rwanda to 1,239,830 doses.
Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of Rwanda Peter H. Vrooman said, “The United States is sharing these vaccines to save lives and lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic.”
These donations protect Rwandans from the ravages of the COVID-19 virus and support continuing efforts to build back the Rwandan economy.
As President Biden has said, “The United States is committed to bring the same urgency to international vaccination efforts that we have demonstrated at home.”
In June, President Biden announced the U.S. Government’s commitment to procure and donate an additional 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses to up to 100 countries supported by the COVAX Advance Market Commitment and member states of the African Union.
On September 22, President Biden announced an additional 500 million Pfizer doses, bringing the total donated to 1.1 billion globally by fall 2022. The United States is working to get as many safe and effective vaccines to as many people around the world as fast as possible. The government and people of the United States are sharing these doses of vaccine not to secure favors or extract concessions. Our vaccines do not come with strings attached. We are doing this with the singular objective of saving lives, just as we do to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other health threats through U.S. assistance through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and work to end the pandemic worldwide, President Biden has promised the United States will be an arsenal of vaccines for the world. Equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines is essential to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to save lives around the world, rebuild the economy, and stop the threat of new variants, we must vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. (End)