ISLAMABAD: The United States on Friday shipped 6.6 million doses of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines to Pakistan through COVAX to assist the country in vaccinating its population against the coronavirus.
“The 6.6 million doses will arrive in time to assist the Pakistani government to inoculate young and at-risk Pakistanis and mitigate the fourth Covid-19 wave,” the US embassy in Islamabad wrote on its official Twitter handle.
It said that the donation brings the total number of Covid-19 vaccines donated by the US to the Pakistani people to 15.8 million. “The United States is the single largest contributor supporting COVAX efforts toward global Covid-19 vaccine access.”
Last month, the US had provided about 3.7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Pakistan.
“There is an urgency, now more than ever, to put an end to this devastating pandemic, and Pakistan and the United States are continuing to work together to achieve that goal,” US Embassy Chargé d’affaires Angela P Aggeler said.
The United States is proud to partner with the Pakistani people to defeat Covid-19, she said, adding: “Together, we will continue to build a world that is safer and more secure against the threat of infectious disease.”
Pakistan also received the first consignment of one million doses of Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday.
