On Thursday, November 25, 2021, 398,970 doses of the safe and effective Pfizer COVID-19 arrived in Madagascar. The vaccines were delivered via the COVAX facility and are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s global effort to rapidly increase vaccine coverage and end this pandemic.
“Widespread vaccination is the most important step we can take to ensure a return to normal life as soon as possible,” United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Madagascar Mission Director John Dunlop said in an arrival ceremony at Ivato Airport. “Please do what you can and get vaccinated,” he added.
This is the third vaccine donation to Madagascar from the American people. The United States donated 302,750 doses of the Johnson&Johnson COVID-19 vaccine in July and an additional 336,000 Johnson&Johnson doses in October from the U.S. domestic supply.
“The United States will be the world’s arsenal of vaccines in our shared fight against this virus,” President Biden said in a June 3 statement.
The United States is sharing vaccine doses with nearly all African countries to save lives and to lead the world in bringing an end to the pandemic. This effort is just one more example of our commitment to our African partners as we confront new waves of the pandemic.
In Madagascar, USAID has provided $5.1 million to support health care facilities and increase vaccine access as well as $2.5 million to assist with the delivery and rollout of vaccines, expand infectious disease testing, and provide personal protective equipment for health workers. The Peace Corps is also supporting the Government of Madagascar’s vaccination efforts by helping to vaccinate more than 25 percent of all eligible residents in the commune of Mantasoa.
The United States is working closely with the Government of Madagascar, like “mpirahalahy mianala,” to protect public health, and we will continue to do all we can to build a world that is safer and more secure against the threat of infectious disease.
