U.S. Donates 3.6 Million More COVID-19 Pfizer Vaccines to Egypt

The U.S. Embassy welcomed the arrival of the third shipment in three weeks of Pfizer’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines to Cairo on October 30.

This shipment of an additional 3.6 million Pfizer doses, part of 8.25 million doses donated from the United States to Egypt through COVAX, will help protect Egyptians from Coronavirus and prevent the spread of the virus’s dangerous new strains.

Ambassador Cohen noted, “These 3.6 million Pfizer doses represent the largest ever donation of vaccines to Egypt and the fourth direct donation of Pfizer vaccines from the people of the United States to the people of Egypt. Today’s vaccine donation underscores our continuing commitment to support Egypt through this global health crisis. The United States has now supplied 8.25 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Egypt.”

These Pfizer doses will be swiftly dispatched to Ministry of Health and Population facilities in Cairo, Port Said, Daqahlya, Behaira, Luxor, and Assiut, and stored in UNICEF-funded ultra-cold storage equipment used exclusively for the Pfizer vaccine. They will be distributed to vaccination centers across the country and given to Egyptian citizens and residents.

U.S. cooperation with Egypt in fighting the pandemic is wide-ranging. At the outset of the pandemic, Egypt sent medical supplies to the United States. The U.S. government, through USAID, has provided more than $55 million to support Egypt’s Coronavirus response, already reaching nearly 18 million people with needed health and economic support.

USAID programs train health care workers, improve tracking of and response to the pandemic, provide food assistance to families affected by the pandemic, and support small businesses. Earlier this month, the U.S. Government announced an additional $5 million in assistance to Egypt to support health workers administering vaccines and strengthen the supply chain for vaccines. This support builds on more than $1 billion in the United States has invested over the past 40 years to improve the health of all Egyptians.

The U.S.-Egypt partnership is saving lives and helping Egypt move towards economic recovery. 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.”