U.S. Chargé
d’Affaires a.i. Mary Daschbach U.S. Embassy Yaoundé
The U.S. Embassy in Yaoundé announced Thursday, July 22, the arrival of 303,050 Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine [single-shot] doses.
The consignment arrived at the Yaoundé-Nsimalen International Airport on the evening of July 21, 2021, the embassy said in a statement.
"This donation to Cameroon is made possible by the United States Government as part of the U.S. government’s global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic," read Thursday's statement.
Because the vaccine confers immunity in a single dose, this shipment, U.S. embassy officials say, will provide immunity to over 300,000 Cameroonians.
“Vaccines save lives. We are proud to help Cameroon, our friend and partner, with this donation,” said U.S. Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Mary Daschbach.
“Health of Cameroonians is one of the top priorities for U.S. foreign assistance in Cameroon. U.S. public health experts have worked hand-in-hand with Cameroonian officials since the start of the pandemic to protect public health and strengthen the response to COVID-19.”
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, U.S. Government agencies are said to have contributed over $21 million (close to CFA 12 billion) to help Cameroon combat the pandemic and its impact.
The U.S. contributions to COVAX, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), supports 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 in addition to public health
expertise provided through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for global COVID-19 response efforts and is critical to controlling the pandemic, slowing the emergence of new variants, and helping to restart the global economy.
These 303,050 doses are part of our commitment to share U.S. vaccine supplies with the world.
The donated vaccines are part of the U.S. pledge to initially provide at least 25 million of 80 million doses globally with Africa. The U.S. government coordinated closely with the African Union, Africa CDC, and COVAX on the country allocations.
"As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic at home and work to end the pandemic worldwide, President Biden has promised that the United States will be an arsenal of vaccines for the world," read Thursday's statement.
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