First consignment of COVID-19 vaccine donated by US arrives in Kabul

More than 1.4 million doses of the US-donated Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Afghanistan on Friday, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said.

According to the Ministry, The first batch, 1,446,000 doses, was handed over to the Afghan government at an event on Friday.

Ross Wilson, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy in Kabul, who attended the event reiterated the US continued assistance to Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the American forces from Afghanistan.

“I’m delighted that the US was able to provide 1.48 million doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, underscoring our Enduring Partnership,” Wilson said in a tweet.

“This is the first of two vaccine consignments to arrive this month, bringing the total donation to around 3.3 million doses,” the UN children’s agency UNICEF said in a statement.

The deliveries are part of President Joe Biden’s pledge to share 80 million vaccine doses globally, most through COVAX, which is run by the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF.

“These vaccines arrive at a critical time for Afghanistan as the country faces a difficult surge in COVID-19 infections,” said UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, Hervé Ludovic De Lys.

Over 1,200 new infections were reported in Afghanistan on July 8th down from a record peak of 1,853 new cases on June 21st, according to the Reuters COVID-19 tracker. Less than four percent of the Afghan population is vaccinated, UNICEF said.

“As many countries face vaccine supply challenges, the dose-sharing mechanism is a rapid way to close the immediate supply gap,” De Lys said. “I hope that other governments will step up and share their doses, supplies, and therapeutics to protect those most in need.”