Kabul, Afghanistan – The United States congratulates Afghanistan on the successful arrival of 468,000 doses of the COVISHIELD vaccine, from the AstraZeneca Serum Institute, on March 8, 2021. 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 the provision of an initial $2 billion—out of a total planned $4 billion—to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, making the United States the single largest contributor to COVAX. Afghanistan is among the first countries in the region to have received COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility.
“The United States stands with Afghanistan in its fight against COVID-19, which poses an unprecedented global health threat,” said U.S. Charge d’Affaires Ian McCary. “Defeating the pandemic is a global challenge and the United States is working both at home and abroad to stop the spread of the disease. Working together, we can defeat COVID-19 and prepare ourselves for future threats.”
The U.S. 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 U.S government is committed to collaborating with partners and governments to support global COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
The United States has worked closely with Afghan stakeholders throughout the duration of the pandemic to protect public health and strengthen the multi-sectoral response to COVID-19. Long-standing health partnerships in Afghanistan have facilitated this work. These partnerships have bolstered surveillance, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, patient care, and public awareness needed to control the pandemic and save lives.
In addition, the enduring partnership between the U.S. and Afghanistan is helping to respond to and mitigate the multi-sectoral impacts of COVID-19. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the United States, through USAID, has contributed nearly $38 million in funding to Afghanistan’s COVID-19 response.
Since 2002, USAID has supported Afghanistan to become a more self-reliant nation that can better partner with the U.S. Government on our national security goals. USAID partners with Afghanistan to ensure private sector led economic growth, to strengthen the country's nascent democracy, to advance the gains made by Afghan women, and to provide basic health and education services for all Afghans.
Photo Credit: UNICEF