The United States (US) has purchased 18 trucks to help Bangladesh establish a dedicated fleet of specialized cold-chain vehicles to deliver COVID-19 vaccines across the country.
The US Embassy’s Acting Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) William Dowers and US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Kathryn Stevens handed over brand new freezer trucks to Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque as part of ongoing US support to the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Bangladesh.
With this support, total US government COVID-19 assistance to Bangladesh exceeds $121 million, a US embassy press release said today.
The USAID purchased four trucks on the local market with an additional 14 vehicles to arrive in the coming months.
“The US is pleased to donate these new freezer trucks and continue our partnership with Bangladesh in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic,” said acting DCM Dowers.
The US government has donated 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and contributed over $121 million to fight the pandemic through USAID, the US Department of Defense, the US Department of State, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This assistance has saved lives and treated individuals infected with COVID-19, supported the national vaccination campaign, strengthened testing capacity and monitoring, enhanced case management and infection prevention and control practices, and improved the supply chain and logistics management systems.
The US support also protects front line workers and increases the public’s knowledge about COVID-19, including ways to protect themselves.
The United States has donated $4 billion to support the worldwide COVAX effort, which includes support for ultra-cold chain storage, transportation, and safe handling of COVID-19 vaccines, making the United States the world’s largest donor for equitable global COVID-19 vaccine access.
