The United States Government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided an additional $2 million USD (approximately 1.1 billion CFA) to support COVID-19 vaccine technical assistance in Senegal.
Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in Senegal, USAID has provided over 5 billion CFA ($9 million USD) to slow the spread of the virus, boost disease surveillance efforts, improve care for affected individuals, and mitigate the impact of the disease. USAID’s most recent $2 million contribution for Senegal will build upon these efforts by supporting widespread public access to lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines.
Since joining the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access initiative (COVAX) in January 2021, the United States has pledged $4 billion USD to improve equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines across the globe. Senegal is a beneficiary of this program.
COVID-19 vaccinations began in Senegal on February 18, 2021. As the number of COVAX-funded vaccines arriving in Senegal increases in the coming weeks, USAID’s support will be critical for ensuring that immunizations are conducted in a safe, organized, and efficient manner to reach the greatest number of people possible.
USAID funding will be used to strengthen COVID-19 vaccine communication campaigns, offer targeted training for health professionals, and support coordination systems for vaccine distribution, tracking, and follow-up.
The COVID-19 assistance demonstrates USAID’s continued engagement with the Government of Senegal to improve health security across the country. This is part of a larger package of support from USAID, which is the biggest donor to Senegal’s health sector, providing over $60 million USD annually. USAID and the U.S. Embassy in Dakar have been a key development champion in Senegal for 60 years, working with individuals, communities and the government to improve everyday lives.