U.S. Embassy Kampala | September 20, 2021
Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown Marking Arrival of United States Donation of 1.6 Million Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Doses for Uganda
(as prepared for delivery at Entebbe International Airport, Uganda)
On behalf of the American people, I am proud to deliver 1,674,270 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to the people of Uganda. The vaccines delivered today are part of the 500 million Pfizer doses the United States purchased this summer to deliver to 92 countries worldwide. To date, the United States has donated more than 136 million COVID-19 vaccine doses worldwide and more vaccines are on their way. Combined with the September 6 delivery of 647,080 Moderna doses, the United States has now donated, bilaterally and at no cost to the Ugandan people, 2,321,350 vaccine doses to Uganda, and we were pleased to join with other partners in facilitating the first vaccine arrival in March.
Approximately 6 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses have now been administered around the world, and the evidence is clear: these vaccines are safe and highly effective. They are one of the most important tools we have in reducing the risk of COVID, including serious illness and death, and essential to bringing this pandemic to an end. Making an educated decision to get the COVID-19 vaccine is a critical step toward protecting your health and that of your family and community. I encourage everyone who is eligible to get the jab as soon as one is available to you.
Today’s vaccine donation is just one facet of the United States’ comprehensive support for Uganda’s COVID-19 response. To date the United States has provided COVID-related assistance valued at 111 million dollars, (or nearly 400 billion shillings) to help Uganda prevent, diagnose, and treat COVID cases. We will continue to do all we can to support the Ugandan people until this pandemic ends.
