LUSAKA–The U.S. Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia is pleased to announce the arrival of 151,200 doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine donated by the United States Government as part of its global efforts to fight the coronavirus.
The vaccines were made available through the African Union COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) facility and are part of the U.S. pledge to provide at least 25 million of 80 million doses globally to Africa. The U.S. government coordinated closely with the African Union and Africa Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on the country allocations.
This donation will help protect the Zambian people from the ravages of the COVID-19 virus and begin to reduce the barriers to building back the Zambian economy. U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. David Young expressed optimism at this latest stage of the U.S.-Zambian relationship, reassuring U.S. support to assist Zambia to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The United States is proud to strengthen our friendship through the donation of these life-saving vaccines. The third wave of COVID-19 has been especially difficult in Zambia. Through these vaccines, and the additional U.S. shipments to come, we partner to save lives,” said Chargé Young.
These 151,200 doses are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to share the U.S. vaccine supply with the world. As we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic at home and work to end the pandemic worldwide, President Biden promised that the United States will be an arsenal of vaccines for the world.
As President Biden said, “from the beginning of my presidency, we have been clear-eyed that we need to attack this virus globally as well. This is about our responsibility — our humanitarian obligation to save as many lives as we can — and our responsibility to our values. We’re going to help lead the world out of this pandemic, working alongside our global partners.”