United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has delivered a second shipment of emergency medical supplies to Bangladesh.  The US Embassy in Dhaka says it will help save lives, stop the spread of COVID-19, and meet the urgent health needs of the Bangladeshi people.  This latest delivery brings the total of U.S. pandemic assistance to more than $84 million.   Also read: US delivers emergency medical supplies to Bangladesh to combat COVID-19 US Embassy Dhaka Deputy Chief of Mission JoAnne Wagner, and USAID Mission Director Derrick S. Brown and Director of America Wing from the Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) Seheli Sabrin, welcomed the arrival of this second shipment at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Thursday. 

The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), on Monday night delivered to Bangladesh its latest shipment of emergency medical supplies to save lives, stop the spread of COVID-19, and meet the urgent health needs of the Bangladeshi people.   This latest delivery brings the financial value of U.S. pandemic assistance to Bangladesh to more than $84 million, tweeted U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller. Ambassador Miller, Toufiq Islam Shatil, Director General, Americas, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Kabir Ahmed, Joint Secretary, Economic Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of Finance; Professor Dr. Mohammad Robed Amin, Line Director, Non-Communicable Disease Control (NCDC); Dr. Md. Zahidul Islam, Deputy Director, Hospitals from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS); and Dr. Moinul Ahsan, Civil Surgeon, Dhaka were present during a handover ceremony.  The emergency medical supplies, including critical personal protective equipment for healthcare professionals and other frontline workers, as well as fingertip pulse oximeters, which by measuring patients’ blood oxygen levels, help better manage and determine timely critical care interventions. “For 50 years, the United States has stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Bangladesh. We will continue to fight this pandemic with Bangladesh until the crisis is over,” said Ambassador Miller. READ: Miller discusses JRP, bilateral issues with Shahriar On June 3, the White House announced its plan to share vaccines directly with Bangladesh as part of a framework to provide 80 million U.S. vaccine doses globally by the end of the month.   This includes 7 million doses destined for Asia.   Also this month, USAID sent two more flights, one of which was also supported by the U.S. Department of Defense, with additional personal protective equipment to Dhaka to support Bangladesh’s response efforts.  Together, these deliveries build on the United States’ ongoing efforts to mitigate the challenges posed by the pandemic in Bangladesh.   The United States has worked closely with Bangladesh since the beginning of the pandemic to strengthen the government’s response to prevent and respond to COVID-19, contributing more than $84 million to date in development and humanitarian assistance from USAID, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Department of State (State).   The recent shipments added over $2 million to the total U.S. government contribution to Bangladesh.   This assistance has helped save lives and treat individuals infected with COVID-19; strengthened COVID-19 testing capacity and surveillance; enhanced COVID-19 case management and infection prevention and control practices; improved both the supply chain and logistics management systems; helped protect front line workers; and increased public knowledge about COVID-19.  Additional U.S. COVID response assistance includes supplying 100 state-of-the-art U.S. manufactured ventilators; gas analyzers to allow Bangladesh to produce its own ventilators; tens of thousands of pieces of locally-produced personal protective equipment (PPE; KN95 surgical masks, face shields, HAZMAT suits, full body gowns, medical-grade hand sanitizer, surgical gloves, medical goggles) to medical treatment facilities, law enforcement, first responders, and customs inspectors; and mentoring and training for thousands of doctors and other front line workers to improve the care given to COVID-19 patients across Bangladesh.   READ: Bangladesh’s request for vaccine doses under active consideration: Miller This support builds on the more than $1 billion in U.S. health assistance the U.S. has provided Bangladesh over the past 20 years and underscores the long-term U.S. commitment to ensuring access to quality, lifesaving health services for the people of Bangladesh, said the US Embassy in Dhaka. 

The first consignment of urgent medical supplies from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is scheduled to arrive here this week to help Bangladesh battle its latest COVID-19 surge.   As part of its ongoing emergency assistance to countries in South Asia, the US government through the USAID on Saturday airlifted urgent medical supplies to help Bangladesh. The US Air Force C-17 flight departed from Travis Air Force Base in California for Dhaka, Bangladesh carrying over 2 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect thousands of health care workers in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Ambassador to USA M Shahidul Islam visited Travis Air Base to see the consignment. "The generous support by the US government will greatly strengthen Bangladesh’s capacity to fight against COVID-19 pandemic," he tweeted. READ: US unveils strategy for global vaccine sharing with Bangladesh, India on list US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, "I deeply value our partnership with Bangladesh, and I hope this support is a testament to our robust and growing ties." US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was among the first donors of COVID-19 support in Bangladesh. "As we dispatch an airlift of urgent medical supplies, we proudly reflect on five decades of health partnership and collaboration with the government and people of Bangladesh," he tweeted. As one of the first and largest donors to Bangladesh’s COVID-19 response efforts, the U.S. government has contributed over $80 million in new and existing resources in assistance to date. This assistance, which includes the delivery of ventilators, supports the country's capacity to test and diagnose the virus, increases prevention and control practices, strengthens supply chain and logistics management systems, enhances risk communications to counter misinformation, and ensures the effective roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines, said USAID. READ: US to swiftly boost global vaccine sharing, Biden announces The United States said it stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Bangladesh as they combat the COVID-19 pandemic. "We congratulate Bangladesh on marking 50 years of independence in 2021 and are proud to celebrate the 50th year of U.S.-Bangladesh relations in 2022. The United States has provided more than $1 billion in health assistance over the last 20 years to Bangladesh," said the USAID in a media release. USAID’s long-standing partnership with Bangladesh demonstrates the United States’ commitment to ensuring access to quality, lifesaving health services for all Bangladeshis, it said. The latest announcement builds on USAID’s ongoing efforts to help India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka battle the latest deadly surge of COVID-19 cases and further demonstrates the United States’ whole-of-government, global response to ensure lifesaving assistance reaches people who need it quickly. USAID is coordinating additional shipments to South Asia in the coming weeks.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) acting Assistant Administrator for Asia Javier Piedra on Wednesday announced new activities valued at more than $28 million to advance regional energy markets in South Asia.

As countries across the Middle East tighten restrictions on movement to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a spokesman for the U.S. Agency for International Development said Thursday that it would suspend humanitarian aid to parts of Yemen over restrictions by the Houthi rebels that predate the pandemic.