The United States has donated another 10 million (1 crore) doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh via COVAX, sustaining the effort to expand vaccinations across the country.  This latest donation from the American people makes Bangladesh the largest recipient of US-donated COVID-19 vaccines among all countries worldwide, with more than 61 million (6.1 crore) doses delivered to date, said the US Embassy in Dhaka on Monday.  These ongoing donations of Pfizer vaccines are part of the broader commitment by the United States to lead the global COVID-19 response by providing one billion doses of Pfizer vaccine around the world—free of charge—through 2022.   This latest donation of Pfizer doses underscores the partnership between the two countries and the generosity of the American people in donating more COVID-19 vaccines to Bangladesh than to any other country in the world, said U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Helen LaFave. Also read: Dhaka calls for sharing technology, know-how of Covid-19 vaccine production "More importantly, it reflects the work of the Government of Bangladesh and all partners involved in the rapid scale-up of the vaccination campaign to get shots in arms safely and efficiently." The United States says it continues to work closely with Bangladesh to support every facet of the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign.  The United States has provided training to over 9,000 healthcare providers and volunteers on proper vaccination management, supported cold-chain storage and transportation, and assisted with targeted campaigns to vaccinate students and people in hard-to-reach communities.  The U.S. has also contributed over $131 million in COVID-related development and humanitarian assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Also read: US donates 6mn more Pfizer vaccine doses to Bangladesh This assistance has saved lives and treated individuals infected with COVID-19, strengthened testing capacity and monitoring, enhanced case management and infection prevention and control practices, and improved supply chain and logistics management systems. 

The Trump administration opted last summer not to lock in a chance to buy millions of additional doses of one of the leading coronavirus vaccine contenders, a decision that could delay the delivery of a second batch of doses until manufacturer Pfizer fulfills other international contracts.

The world’s largest vaccine maker, Serum Institute of India Ltd, is ramping up production of AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate, aiming to have 100 million doses ready by December for an inoculation drive that could begin across India that same month.