The US Embassy welcomed the arrival of 1.3 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine to Cairo on November 24th.
This shipment of an additional 1.3 million doses, part of 9.6 million doses of Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines donated by the United States to Egypt through COVAX, will help protect Egyptians from Coronavirus and prevent the spread of the virus’s dangerous new strains.
Ambassador Cohen said: “These 1.3 million Johnson & Johnson doses bring to nearly 10 million the doses from the US to the people of Egypt, out of the more than 89 million doses the US has donated to Africa so far. Today’s vaccine donation underscores our continuing commitment to support Egypt through this global health crisis.”
These Johnson & Johnson doses will be swiftly distributed to Ministry of Health and Population vaccination centres across the country.
US cooperation with Egypt in fighting the pandemic is wide-ranging. At the outset of the pandemic, Egypt sent medical supplies to the US.
The US government, through USAID, has provided more than $55 million to support Egypt’s Coronavirus response, already reaching nearly 18 million people with health and economic support.
USAID programmes train health care workers, improve tracking of and response to the pandemic, provide food assistance to families affected by the pandemic, and support small businesses.
Last month, the US Government announced an additional $5 million in assistance to Egypt to support health workers administering vaccines and strengthen the supply chain for vaccines.
This support builds on more than $1 billion in the US has invested over the last 40 years to improve the health of all Egyptians.
The US-Egypt partnership is saving lives and helping Egypt move towards economic recovery.
As President Biden said, “From the beginning of my presidency, we have been clear-eyed that we need to attack this virus globally as well. This is about our responsibility—our humanitarian obligation to save as many lives as we can—and our responsibility to our values. We’re going to help lead the world out of this pandemic, working alongside our global partners.”
