PRESS RELEASE
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U.S. Government Donates 1.3 Million Doses of Pfizer Vaccines for the 12 to 17 Age Group
September 1, 2022 – In continued support of Mozambique’s efforts to combat COVID-19, the U.S. Government donated 1.3 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on August 29th and August 30th with 3.5 million more doses coming in the coming weeks. These doses support the Government of Mozambique’s goal to begin vaccinating approximately 5 million Mozambicans between the ages of 12-17. This marks a significant expansion in Mozambique’s COVID-19 effort by extending protection from adults to adolescents. Critical to ensuring the safe preservation of these vaccines, UNICEF and the Government of Germany via COVAX, supported the Ministry of Health to establish the necessary ultra cold chain capacity in the country. Additional support came from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) to deliver the necessary syringes.
With this delivery, the U.S. Government has now donated over 5.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Mozambique. These donations are part of the larger U.S. Government coordinated effort to support Mozambique’s response to COVID-19 and strengthen Mozambique’s resilience to the virus and its variants. The long-standing U.S.-Mozambique partnership in the health sector has resulted in an effective response to the pandemic.
During a ceremony marking the arrival of these vaccines, U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique Peter H. Vrooman said, “The United States is honored to be a strong partner of Mozambique in the health sector for decades. We are committed to doing all that we can to help Mozambique reach high vaccination rates among its entire population. Because of displays of solidarity, we have shown great resilience against this virus.”
The United States is committed to leading the global COVID-19 response, having committed over $19 billion in health, humanitarian, and economic assistance, becoming the largest donor to the global effort to vaccinate people around the world. The U.S. Government has also purchased over 1.2 billion vaccines for low-income countries and donated 600 million vaccines from the United States’ own supply.
In close collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Mozambique, the U.S. Government provides more than $500 million in annual assistance to improve the quality of education and healthcare, promote economic prosperity, and support the overall development of the nation.
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