Speeches Shim
COVID-19 is one of the greatest health challenges our world has ever faced. To beat the virus in the United States, we must also fight it abroad. USAID’s work to end the acute phase of the pandemic is keeping Americans safe, saving lives around the world, and rebuilding the U.S. and global economies.
We need to attack this virus globally, not just at home, because it’s in America’s self-interest to do so. The virus knows no boundaries. —President Joe Biden
USAID’s Global Response
COVID-19 knows no borders and no one is safe until everyone is safe. USAID is leading the U.S. government’s efforts to vaccinate the world and save lives now. Since the beginning of the pandemic, USAID has supported more than 120 countries to contain and combat the virus. To date, USAID has provided more than $10.4 billion to intensify the fight against COVID-19 around the world, pave the way to recovery, and strengthen global health security. We have been a critical partner in President Biden’s commitment to make the United States the world’s arsenal for vaccines—helping to donate more than 620 million vaccines to 116 countries by mid-September 2022.
Only through collaboration can we collectively overcome COVID-19. —Administrator Samantha Power
USAID’s Programs
USAID is building on decades of global health leadership combating infectious diseases such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria to now fight COVID-19 among other vaccine preventable diseases. USAID programs are helping deliver vaccines and get shots in arms through the U.S. Government's Initiative for Global Vaccine Access (Global VAX), expand access to COVID-19 testing and treatment, protect and train health workers, deliver life-saving health commodities and equipment, share accurate and reliable public health information, and safeguard global health security. USAID is not just fighting the disease—we are also fighting to secure decades of development progress that the pandemic has harmed. USAID programs are keeping kids in school, providing emergency food and hygiene assistance, helping people find work, preventing democratic backsliding, addressing gender-based violence, and tackling other devastating impacts of the pandemic.
Resources
- USAID COVID-19 fact sheets
- Global VAX
- Global VAX fact sheet
- USAID COVID-19 guidance for implementing partners
- U.S. Global Response and Recovery Framework
- Private Sector Engagement
- COVID-19 Safety Plan & Workplace Guidelines
- CDC COVID-19 information
- Get involved
The spread of COVID-19 has shown that an infectious disease threat anywhere can be a threat everywhere. USAID is dedicated to ending this acute phase of the pandemic for everyone, everywhere.
LATEST UPDATES
USAID Operating Status
Last updated: September 19, 2022
In March, the Administration requested $22.5 billion in additional COVID-19 response funding, including $5 billion to support the immediate needs of the global COVID-19 response. This global funding would enable a significant expansion of our Global VAX surge efforts to another 20 to 25 countries and other global COVID-19 vaccination priorities, including the rollout of boosters and pediatric doses. With more than 30 countries qualifying as severely undervaccinated, it remains critical to expand the initiative beyond the 11 surge countries we currently support. This request will also enable us to shrink the severe gaps in global access to testing, oxygen capacity, and antiviral treatments—enabling lifesaving services for more than 100 million people—as well as enhanced monitoring of potential or emerging variants.
Failure to continue our supplemental global funding would abdicate U.S. leadership even as the People’s Republic of China continues its transactional approach to pandemic response and global health; it would weaken health systems that are crucial to fighting this and future pandemics; and it would amount to a surrender to the inevitability of dangerous new variants. Failing to provide supplemental global funding would also jeopardize our long-term baseline pandemic preparedness, global health, and health security investments. In sum: it would be a geopolitical, ethical, health security, and economic mistake of historic proportions.
Yesterday, Administrator Samantha Power participated in a virtual fireside chat with David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group, at the World Bank Spring Meetings high-level event on Scaling up Vaccine Deployment. They discussed global efforts to turn COVID-19 vaccines into vaccinations, including recent country successes in driving up vaccination rates and examples of progress from USAID’s work in the field. They also discussed what actions are now demanded of all stakeholders, especially to address critical COVID-19 vaccine financing gaps.
The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), continues to build upon its ongoing, robust COVID-19 response in Thailand. Coinciding with World Immunization Week, the two agencies are providing nearly three million syringes and associated vaccine delivery supplies to hospitals and health centres to support Thailand’s nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
On April 19, Administrator Samantha Power met with the President of Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, to discuss the impact of climate change and COVID-19 in Madagascar, as well as ways to strengthen anti-corruption efforts in the country.
On April 19, Administrator Samantha Power met with Dr. Seth Berkley, the CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi). Administrator Power expressed USAID’s appreciation for our long-standing partnership with Gavi during this critical moment in time for global immunization access and equity. Administrator Power and Dr. Berkley also discussed Gavi’s core routine immunization portfolio and the procurement and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX. The two discussed the critical importance of continuing to fund vaccine delivery so that we are able to prevent doses from going to waste and mitigate the emergence of new variants by getting shots in arms around the world.
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