The United States is providing the Philippines P170 million ($3.5 million) to support the Department of Health (DOH) in its COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) vaccination rollout.
Through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the new funding is geared towards strengthening the country’s vaccine supply chain, monitoring vaccine safety, and delivering effective communication campaigns to address vaccine hesitancy.
The new assistance also aims to support local government units as they plan for, track, and administer vaccines.
This brings the total US government support for the Philippines’ COVID-19 response to nearly P1.3 billion ($27 million), according to the data provided by the US Embassy in Manila.
US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires John Law announced the new funding during a recent visit to a vaccination site in Caloocan City along with Health Sec. Francisco Duque III, Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan, and USAID Philippines Mission Director Lawrence Hardy II.
“While the pandemic has tested our peoples and our economies, the strong bonds between Americans and Filipinos will help us rise above this challenge,” said Chargé d’Affaires Law. “We will continue to fight this unprecedented global health crisis together.”
Just recently, the White House announced a P194 billion ($4 billion) commitment to support the COVAX facility, a global initiative to support early vaccine access for 92 countries, including the Philippines.
Through the COVAX effort —of which the United States is the largest donor—the Philippines will receive enough vaccines to immunize around 20 percent of its population by the end of 2021.