US announces $11.4m additional Covid-19 assistance to Bangladesh

The US has announced an additional USD 11.4 million assistance to help Bangladesh respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and strengthen the country's preparedness for future health emergencies, taking the total aid to more than USD 96 million.  

The assistance will provide life-saving medical and oxygen supplies, and will also help in accelerating national efforts to roll out an effective Covid-19 vaccination campaign, said a press release.

The total US Covid-19 assistance includes the donation of 5.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine and capacity-building support towards the rollout of the national vaccination campaign.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller said, "This additional donation through the historic American Rescue Plan is part of our ongoing support to help Bangladesh fight Covid-19.  The United States is the largest donor of assistance to Bangladesh's Covid-19 response.  America has been Bangladesh's closest partner for the past five decades working to improve public health.  At this particularly challenging moment in the battle against the pandemic, our partnership is more important than ever."

The United States - through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), US Department of Defense, the US Department of State, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - has also provided medical supplies, ventilators, oxygen equipment, pulse oximeters, and millions of pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers across Bangladesh.  

The United States has also already committed $2 billion to support the worldwide Covax vaccination effort, with a pledge of an additional $2 billion, making the United States the world's largest donor for equitable global Covid-19 vaccine access. 

The support focuses on protecting front line workers and increasing the public knowledge of Covid-19, including ways to protect them.