ISLAMABAD: The US agreed to ship 16 million pediatric doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan on Wednesday after the first-ever health dialogue between the two states concluded.
Pakistan’s Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel arrived in Washington last week to lead a four-member delegation for the first “US-Pakistan Health Dialogue” between the two nations.
The two sides had planned to discuss establishing a Pakistani Center for Disease Control, global health security, childhood immunizations, COVID-19 engagement, regulatory engagements, maternal and child health, and non-communicable diseases during the dialogue.
‘US COVID-19 vaccine donations to Pakistan will surpass 77 million doses following an agreement to ship 16 million pediatric doses from the United States to Pakistan in partnership with COVAX,” the US Embassy in Pakistan said in a statement.
It added that the donation was announced at the end of the dialogue and that an additional $29 million in USAID funding is also planned to support vaccination efforts in Pakistan.
“Since the start of the pandemic, the US 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,” it added.
US Ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome, said the two countries had strengthened their cooperation and partnership throughout the 75 years of diplomatic relations. “We will continue to work side-by-side to tackle this once-in-a-lifetime public health challenge,” he added.
