The United States is partnering with Africa to boost the supply of coronavirus vaccines to the continent as the Delta variant continues to spread, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a pre-recorded speech released to the US-Africa Business Summit on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th July, 2021) The United States is partnering with Africa to boost the supply of coronavirus vaccines to the continent as the Delta variant continues to spread, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a pre-recorded speech released to the US-Africa business Summit on Tuesday.
"We are partnering with the African Union and the African CDC to distribute doses to those most at risk, and we will continue to ramp up the safe and secure transfer of vaccines through the rest of the year," Tai said. "We've all seen the alarming statistics, in particular how many of the new cases come from the Delta variant."
Tai said defeating the coronavirus and helping facilitate a robust global economic recovery were interconnected and top priorities for Africa and the United States.
"At the moment, less than 2 percent of Africa's population is vaccinated, and the World Health Organization recently said that Africa experienced the worst surge of cases in late June since the pandemic began," she noted.
Tai also said since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the US government has announced more than $500 million in emergency health, humanitarian, economic and development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa.
In addition, the US government provided an initial $2 billion - out of a total planned $4 billion - to support vaccines for 92 low- and middle-income countries that are eligible to participate in the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment Facility.
