REF# 2021 – 41
Today Ambassador William Popp joined Minister of Health Coma at Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City to receive a donation of 2 million additional 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 has arrived via a specially formatted United Airlines aircraft that departed Chicago on the morning of Saturday, December 11.
This shipment today brings the total US Government donation of vaccines to Guatemala to 8.5 Million doses of Moderna, including previous shipments of 1.5 million and 3 million in July 2021 and a third shipment of 2 million on November 24. The US Government continues to help protect the Guatemalan people from the ravages of COVID-19 and help reduce barriers to building back the Guatemalan economy.
“As one of Guatemala’s longstanding allies and partners, we remain committed to helping Guatemalans overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud to welcome this fourth shipment of safe, proven and secure Moderna vaccines to Guatemala. This shipment of 2 million doses, when added to our previous three shipments, brings the total to 8.5 million vaccines that the United States has delivered to Guatemala. This is enough to vaccinate 25 percent of all Guatemalans and represents over 55% of the doses necessary to vaccinate the entire population over 12 years of age,” said Ambassador William 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.
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 US 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 the U.S. has provided over $32 million to Guatemala in assistance to respond to the pandemic.
###