Sunday, April 18, 2021
Yaoundé, Cameroon – The United States congratulates Cameroon on the arrival of 391,200 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on April 17, 2021. This shipment was made possible through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, a global initiative to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The United States recently announced an initial $2 billion obligation – out of a total planned $4 billion – to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance to support the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, making the United States the single largest contributor to global COVID-19 vaccine access.
“Health of Cameroonians is one of the top priorities for U.S. foreign assistance in Cameroon. We have worked side by side with Government of Cameroon health officials for years and have invested over half a billion dollars to strengthen the health system and fight HIV, TB, malaria and other diseases, including COVID-19,” declared U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires a.i. Vernelle Trim FitzPatrick.
The U.S. contributions to COVAX, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will support 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.
The United States has worked closely with Cameroon since the start of the pandemic to protect public health and strengthen the response to COVID-19. Since the outbreak, U.S. government agencies have contributed over $21 million to help Cameroon combat COVID-19 and manage its impact. These resources have helped Cameroon implement activities in risk communication and community engagement, infection prevention and control, and laboratory strengthening, to control the spread of the virus.