Speeches Shim
USAID Operating Status
Last updated: June 10, 2022
On January 11, 2022, Administrator Samantha Power met with Chief Executive Officer of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Mark Suzman. The two discussed the recently announced whole-of-government effort, the Initiative for Global Vaccine Access (Global VAX), to accelerate vaccine delivery and administration. They also discussed USAID and BMGF’s coordinated work to deliver critical oxygen resources to those in need as well as efforts to encourage donors to support plans to increase oxygen resources.
Today, Lao PDR received a new shipment of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which is a donation by the United States through the COVAX Facility - a partnership co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO), with UNICEF as a key delivery partner. The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine has been reviewed for safety and efficacy by WHO and is the first COVID-19 vaccine recommended by WHO for use in individuals age 12 and above. These vaccines will protect lives in Lao PDR and help prevent dangerous new variants from spreading.

Earlier this week, 3.3 million additional doses of safe and effective Pfizer vaccines donated by the United States arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. On Sunday (12/26), 234,000 doses arrived, followed by 3,086,460 doses which arrived on Tuesday (12/28). With the latest consignment, the United States has donated over 28 million doses of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines, bringing the Government of Indonesia closer to achieving their vaccination goals.

The USAID Eliminating Tuberculosis in Central Asia activity uses state-of-the-art information technology (IT) equipment to virtually train TB specialists at the National Reference Laboratory in Kazakhstan.
Today, Administrator Samantha Power met with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva to discuss how USAID and the IMF can enhance coordination and collaboration around the world to increase vaccination rates and end the COVID-19 pandemic.
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