August 9, 2021
Male, Maldives — The U.S. donated 128,700 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to Maldives as part of the United States’ global efforts to fight the COVID-10 pandemic. These vaccines, delivered through COVAX, will save lives and increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage essential to ending the pandemic. These vaccines are a gift, provided entirely free to the Maldivian people.
“Vaccines are going to save lives, and, as part of the US partnership with Maldives, we support the government’s efforts to halt the spread of COVID-19 by safeguarding people through vaccination.” said Alaina Teplitz, the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives. “In coordination with the Maldivian Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and other global COVAX partners, we are working to get safe and effective vaccines to as many people as possible, as soon as possible, to control the pandemic, slow new variants, and help restart the global economy.”
This vaccine delivery builds on the United States government’s ongoing leadership on global vaccination efforts as the world’s largest donor to COVAX. The 128,700 doses delivered to the Maldivian Government today are part of the United States’ commitment to providing equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines. As noted by the White House, “We are doing this with the singular objective of saving lives. We will continue to do all we can to build a world that is safer and more secure against the threat of infectious disease.”
COVAX is a platform that provides safe, effective, and high-quality WHO-authorized COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world. As the global leader in public health assistance and the largest single donor supporting COVAX, the U.S. has already donated $2 billion to the program to combat the pandemic.
The United States has worked closely with Maldives throughout the pandemic to protect public health and support the Maldivian government’s response to the pandemic. To date, the U.S. has provided over $4.6 million in emergency supplies, training, and critical services, plus an in-kind donation of 60 ventilators. The U.S. worked with local organizations to expand COVID-19-related social protection services and implement a COVID safety awareness campaign. Additionally, the U.S. is supporting the Maldivian government in developing effective economic, fiscal, and monetary measures in response to the pandemic and for Maldives long-term economic recovery.
The U.S. is committed to leading the global response to this pandemic, not only because this will keep people safe, but because it is the right thing to do. These doses are delivered in coordination with COVAX, in partnership with Maldivian government. We are proud to partner with Maldives to build back a better world.
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