Today, Ambassador William Popp joined Minister of Health Francisco Coma at the Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City to receive a donation of 2 million more Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. This donation is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s global efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The direct, bilateral donation of vaccines arrived via a specially formatted United Airlines aircraft that departed Chicago on the morning of Wednesday, November 24.
This shipment today brings the total U.S. Government donation of vaccines to Guatemala to 6.5 million doses of Moderna, including the previous shipments of 1.5 million and 3 million in July 2021. The U.S. Government will continue to help protect the Guatemalan people from the ravages of COVID-19 and to help reduce barriers to building back the Guatemalan economy.
“In the United States we are about to celebrate Thanksgiving, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to welcome 2 million doses of vaccines to Guatemala. With this additional donation, the United States has delivered a total of 6.5 million safe and effective Moderna vaccines, enough to vaccinate 20% of all Guatemalans and equivalent to 48% of the doses necessary to vaccinate the population over 12 years of age,” said Ambassador Popp.
This latest shipment of 2 million doses is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued commitment to share U.S. vaccines with the world. As the United States continues to fight the COVID-19 worldwide, President Biden has made good on his promise 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.” To date, the U.S. has donated over 1.2 billion vaccines globally.
This vaccine donation by the U.S. government is a part of a broader strategy to combat the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 in Guatemala. Additional U.S. Government assistance includes the donation of over 1.2 million syringes, 60 ventilators, 6 freezers to provide cold-chain storage, two mobile hospitals, laboratory equipment, protective equipment, and thousands of COVID-19 tests. In total, over $32 million in assistance to respond to the pandemic.