THE UNITED States has congratulated St. Vincent and the Grenadines -SVGon the successful arrival of 24,000 doses of the Astra-Zeneca COVID-19 on April 6, 2021. In a relelase, the embassy said this shipment was made possible through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, a global initiative to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The United States recently announced an initial $2 billion obligation—out of a total planned $4 billion— to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to support the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, making the U.S. the single largest contributor to global COVID-19 vaccine access.

U.S. Ambassador to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, Linda Taglialatela, said she is very pleased that SVG received this shipment of vaccines through the COVAX facility. “We must vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. The United States is taking decisive action to protect Americans and the world’s most vulnerable. Equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines is critical to control and end the pandemic, mitigate the ongoing health and economic impacts, and to keep Americans safe at home and abroad,” Taglialatela is quoted as saying.

She added, “The United States is the single largest donor to COVAX, the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access initiative. To date, our support represents nearly half of the commitments to the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment, which pools demand and funding to help lowand lower-middle

income countries access COVID-19 vaccines.”

The United States’ contributions to COVAX, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),will support the purchase and delivery of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for the world’s most vulnerable and at-risk populations in 92 low- and middle-income countries. This support is critical to controlling the pandemic, slowing the emergence of new variants, and helping to restart the global economy.

The United States will also work with other donors to make further pledges and commitments to meet the COVAX Facility’s critical needs. The United States is committed to collaborating with partners and governments to support global COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

The United States has worked closely with St. Vincent and the Grenadines throughout the duration of the pandemic to protect public health and strengthen the response to COVID-19. In partnership with UNICEF and PAHO, USAID is providing resources to reinforce the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ efforts in risk communication, partner coordination, community engagement, public health information campaigns and health systems capacity building.