Sri Lanka has received over 1.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX facility.
A donation by the United States of America, these vaccines are given at no cost to the Sri Lankan government as part of America’s commitment to ending the global pandemic.
"They will help Sri Lankans get back to work and to stay healthy, a gift we make in reflection of the long-standing friendship between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said Alaina Teplitz, the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives.
“Our partnership with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and other global COVAX partners to deliver these vaccines is critical to controlling the pandemic, slowing the emergence of new variants, and helping to restart the global economy,” she added.
“Our vaccines do not come with strings attached. We are doing this with the singular objective of saving lives.” - The White House
This vaccine delivery builds on the United States government’s ongoing leadership on global vaccination efforts as the world’s largest donor to COVAX.
The Biden administration has pledged to ship at least 80 million doses - a mix of Moderna, Pfizer Inc. and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
The 1.5 million doses delivered to Sri Lanka today are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to providing equitable global access to safe and effective vaccines.
The United States has worked closely with Sri Lanka since the pandemic began to protect public health, providing over USD 8 million in emergency supplies and critical services, plus an in-kind donation of 200 ventilators, to support the Sri Lanka's response to the pandemic.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Colombo, this assistance has reached millions of people in all 25 districts and nine provinces of Sri Lanka to control the spread of COVID-19 while addressing the urgent health needs and mitigating the pandemic’s negative economic impacts.
