The United States donated over 100,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Government of the United States were delivered by the COVAX Facility to Sri Lanka on Saturday (07).
“As the pandemic continues and new variants emerge, it is critical we work together to vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible,” said Alaina Teplitz, the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives.
She noted that this donation of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines comes at no cost and represents the United States’ continuing commitment to the health and prosperity of the Sri Lankan people.
This vaccine delivery is in addition to over 1.5 million Moderna doses donated by the U.S. to Sri Lanka on July 16. As the global leader in public health assistance, the United States has donated USD 2 billion to the COVAX facility, an international initiative accelerating the research, development, and distribution of safe, effective, and high-quality vaccines to countries around the world. The U.S. is the largest single contributor to COVAX which has already delivered 209 million vaccines to 138 countries.
Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella extended his gratitude to the American people for the donation of over 100,000 Pfizer BioNTech vaccines.
"A robust vaccine roll out is critical to the recovery of Sri Lanka on every front. My thanks to the US Embassy in Sri Lanka and Ambassador Teplitz for facilitating this gift," he said.
Since the pandemic began, the United States has partnered with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health, providing over USD 15 million in emergency supplies and critical services, including 200 ventilators. This assistance has reached millions of people in all 25 districts and nine provinces of Sri Lanka to control the spread of COVID-19, address the urgent health needs of the Sri Lankan people, and mitigate the pandemic’s negative economic impacts.
