Press Release
August 20, 2021
The double-dose immunization will provide vaccines for 40,950 Batswana.
Today, August 20, 2021, 81,900 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine donated by the U.S. government arrived in Botswana as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on the vaccine’s thorough testing and strong safety record, United States Ambassador Craig Cloud encouraged all Batswana to get vaccinated: “Getting vaccinated saves lives. That is why the United States has donated $4 billion to Gavi to accelerate equitable global access to vaccines. The United States is working to ensure countries are prepared to safely and effectively distribute these vaccines.”
This Pfizer vaccine donation augments the more than $3.5 million previously donated to Botswana’s COVID response: $2.5 million for health facility and community response and $1 million to support vaccination programs.
The United States has provided substantial contributions to Gavi to support the COVAX Facility, including an initial contribution of $2 billion in July. President Biden also announced the United States will be making available 500 million Pfizer vaccine doses to Gavi be distributed by COVAX to 92 low- and middle-income countries around the world, and the African Union. The U.S. government has also donated additional vaccine doses to countries around the world and has coordinated closely with the African Union and Africa Centers for Disease Control to determine the allocations of those vaccine doses for countries in Africa. To date, we have donated and delivered more than 110 million doses to 60 countries around the world.
After arriving in Gaborone, the vaccine shipment will be handed over to the Government of Botswana to undergo a quality check at the vaccine lab of the Ministry of Health’s Central Medical Stores. Subsequently, the Government of Botswana will distribute the vaccines according to Botswana’s distribution plan.
Ambassador Cloud underscored, “We join the Ministry of Health and Wellness and partners in the international community to fight this pandemic together. There is nothing more important right now. The United States’ investments and commitments build on a long tradition of bilateral partnership. Over the past two decades, the United States has invested more than $146 billion in global health assistance.”
For additional information on U.S. government support for Botswana’s efforts to combat COVID-19 to date, please visit: https://bw.usembassy.gov/what-the-united-states-is-doing-in-response-to-covid-19-in-botswana/.
