Today, U.S. Ambassador Peter Haas joined Health Minister Zahid Maleque and Education Minister Dr. Dipu Moni to launch the national campaign to administer U.S.-donated Pfizer pediatric COVID-19 vaccines to Bangladeshi children ages 5-11. UNICEF Country Representative Sheldon Yett, and other Bangladeshi government officials and representatives of international organizations attended the special event, at which the first group of young Bangladeshis received their first shots.
The United States recently donated over three million pediatric doses of Pfizer vaccines and committed to donating over 40 million (4 crores) pediatric doses. U.S. support for this new children’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign includes over $7.3 million and comes alongside other assistance from COVAX.
“This is a remarkable step for kids, for parents, and for the entire nation. We hope these vaccines enable young Bangladeshis to return to more normal lives to pursue their studies and dreams more fully,” said Ambassador Haas.
The United States has donated over 75 million (7.5 crores) doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Bangladesh, accounting for over two-thirds of all international COVID-19 vaccine donations to Bangladesh. U.S. support has also trained over 51,000 healthcare providers and other workers on safely administering vaccines across 64 districts, donated 18 freezer vans, 750 freezer units, and 8,000 vaccine carriers to help transport 57 million doses of vaccines to remote areas, and directly provided 47 million vaccinations.
The United States has contributed more than $140 million in COVID-19-related development and humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh. Globally, the United States has donated $4 billion to support the COVAX effort, which includes support for ultra-cold chain storage, transportation, and safe handling of COVID-19 vaccines, making the United States the world’s largest donor for equitable global COVID-19 vaccine access.