US donates 3.7m doses of Pfizer vaccine to Pakistan

The United States (US) on Thursday provided about 3.7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Pakistan through the COVAX facility to assist the country in vaccinating its population against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pakistan reported 4,553 new cases of coronavirus during the past 24 hours, taking the tally for confirmed cases to 1,140,411.

At least 85 deaths were also reported during the said period. A total of 25,320 patients have succumbed to the virus in the country so far. Moreover, 3,413 recoveries were also reported during the past 24-hour period, taking total recoveries to 1,022,847.

According to a press release issued by the US State Department today, the donation is part of the 500 million Pfizer doses the United States purchased this summer to deliver to 92 countries worldwide, including Pakistan, to fulfil President Joe Biden’s commitment to provide safe and effective vaccines around the world and supercharge the global fight against the pandemic.

PHOTO: EXPRESS

Today’s donation of 3.7 million vaccines is in addition to the 5.5 million Moderna vaccine doses that the US government donated to Pakistan in July, bringing the total number of doses sent from the United States to Pakistan to over 9.2 million, the communique added.

“There is an urgency, now more than ever, to put an end to this devastating pandemic, and Pakistan and the United States are continuing to work together to achieve that goal,” said US Embassy Chargé d’affaires Angela P. Aggeler. “The United States is proud to partner with the Pakistani people to defeat COVID-19. Together, we will continue to build a world that is safer and more secure against the threat of infectious disease.”

PHOTO: EXPRESS

The state department further said that the US had also given more than $63 million in Covid-19 assistance to the government of Pakistan.

“Since the start of the pandemic, the United States has worked together with Pakistan to improve infection prevention and control, enhance patient care, expand laboratory testing, and support frontline healthcare workers,” it added.