Islamabad, Aug 27 /DNA/ – As part of the U.S. commitment to provide 77 million doses of U.S. COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan, an additional nine million pediatric and adult doses from the United States—in partnership with COVAX— began arriving on August 26.

The United States is the single largest donor of COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan.  In addition to those Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the United States also recently donated four mobile testing laboratories, worth $4.6 million, to Pakistan’s National Institute of Health through USAID.  These labs have strengthened Pakistan’s ability to diagnose COVID-19 and other communicable diseases, especially in remote and underserved areas.

Expressing appreciation for the strong bilateral health cooperation as the United States and Pakistan commemorate 75 years of bilateral 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 our two countries to continue working together to combat COVID-19 and safeguard the health and safety of the Pakistani people.”

An additional $20 million in USAID funding is also planned to support ongoing vaccination efforts in Pakistan.  Since the start of the pandemic, the U.S. government has provided nearly $70.4 million in direct support and $13.8 million in in-kind support to assist the Pakistani people in the fight against COVID-19.

Previously, the United States 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 has helped save lives and protect people across Pakistan.  The U.S. government 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 units and teams – providing an infrastructure to combat the current pandemic and building resiliency for the future.

The close coordination between the U.S. 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 United States will continue to work with our Pakistani friends to help strengthen local capacity and infrastructure to combat COVID-19 and other communicable diseases.