US Chargé d’Affaires, Nicole Shampaine and Assistant Minister of Health Mohamed Hassany welcomed the arrival of the first shipment of COVID-19 Pfizer vaccines to Cairo. The 1.6 million Pfizer dose shipment is a direct donation from the United States to Egypt through COVAX. These vaccines will help protect Egyptians from COVID-19 and prevent the spread of the virus’s dangerous new strains.
At the arrival ceremony, also attended by Pfizer, WHO, and UNICEF partners, Chargé Shampaine stated, “I am delighted to welcome this vaccine shipment, a direct donation of 1.6 million doses of Pfizer from the people of the United States to the people of Egypt. Our governments and people have been working side-by-side, every day, to fight Coronavirus. At the outset of the pandemic, Egypt sent medical supplies to the United States. In August of 2020, the United States sent 250 ventilators to Egypt. Today’s vaccine donation underscores our continuing commitment to support Egypt through this global health crisis.”
Dr. Naeema Al Gasseer, WHO representative in Egypt stated, “WHO praises the generous and timely contribution made by the American government and the American people to support Egypt in its battle against COVID-19. This contribution makes Egypt more step forward towards vaccinating 40% of its population by the end of 2021 as targeted by the WHO, we are confirming that no country can vaccinate its way out of this pandemic in isolation from the rest of the world, when we unite together to end the vaccine inequity, we will be able to halt the pandemic, stop transmission, save lives and overcome the social and economic turmoil.”
“UNICEF is grateful to the Government and people of the United States for their continued support to COVID-19 response and lifesaving vaccination in Egypt. This support is critical and timely. UNICEF is glad to support the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population in the development of the ultra-cold chain needed to ensure the conservation and distribution of the vaccines. I would like to extend our gratitude to partners and donors within COVAX who made this possible, so that more vaccines can be stored at ultra-low temperature while preserving their potency to protect the people of Egypt from COVID-19”, said UNICEF Representative in Egypt, Jeremy Hopkins.
U.S. cooperation with Egypt in fighting the pandemic is wide-ranging. The U.S. government, through USAID, has provided more than $50 million to support Egypt’s Coronavirus response, reaching nearly 18 million people with needed health and economic support. USAID programs 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. This support builds on more than $1 billion in US government investment over the past 40 years to improve the health of all Egyptians.
Today’s delivery follows almost 4.7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses the United States and partner nations have already donated to Egypt through COVAX, bringing total donations so far to over 6 million. The Pfizer doses will be swiftly dispatched to the Ministry of Health and Population facilities in Cairo, Port Said, Daqahlya, Behaira, Luxor, and Assiut, and stored in UNICEF-funded ultra-cold storage equipment.
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.” Worldwide, the United States has delivered more than 110 million COVID-19 vaccines and hundreds of millions more are on their way.
