2.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine arrive from US

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday received 2.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine from the US, with a senior American official in the federal capital confirming that Washington would be sending more in future.

Charge d’ Affaires at the US embassy Angela P. Aggeler said the vaccines, which arrived at Islamabad International Airport, would save lives and help Pakistan emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, which had devastated so many families and communities in both countries.

“Together with the Pakistani government and our international partners, including Covax and Unicef, we will work to ensure that the vaccines are distributed as quickly and safely as possible,” Angela P. Aggeler said.

“We work through the logistic, regulatory and other parameters particular to each country. We will move as expeditiously as possible while abiding by US and Pakistani regulations to facilitate safe and secure transport of vaccines. This takes time, but we continue to work together bilaterally, and with our international partners, throughout the process,” the American diplomat said.

The latest donation is part of the 80 million doses the US is sharing with the world, delivering on its pledge to facilitate equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines, which are essential for ending the Covid-19 pandemic, a press release issued by the US embassy said, adding that in addition to this bilateral donation, the US has committed $4 billion to Covax, a global initiative to support equitable access to coronavirus vaccines.

In May, Pakistan received 1.2 million AstraZeneca vaccines through the Covax initiative, and more are on the way. “We appreciate the ongoing collaboration with the Pakistani government and our international partners to make this delivery and these goals a reality,” the US official said.

She said in order to save lives around the world, rebuild the global economy and stop the threat of new variants, “we must vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible”. As President Joe Biden has said, the United States will continue to do all it can to build a world that is safer and more secure against the threat of infectious disease, Ms Aggeler added.

 “Since the start of the pandemic, we have worked together to improve infection prevention and control, enhance patient care, expand laboratory testing, disease monitoring and case tracking in all districts, and support frontline healthcare workers, the US charge d’ affaires said.