Global Vax is a US government effort to help meet the global goal to vaccinate 70 percent of the world population against Covid-19 in 2022.
The US government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), plans to issue additional $25 million (about Sh57.5 billion) in efforts to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in Tanzania. In a meeting with President Samia Suluhu Hassan yesterday, USAID administrator Samantha Power said the funding will support increased vaccination drive, including addressing vaccine confidence and demand and increasing the accessibility of vaccination sites. This additional funding, she added, would build on more than $42.1 million (about Sh96.8 billion) that USAID, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Department of Defence, and Peace Corps have provided to Tanzania in response to Covid-19. Ms Samantha said the investments have helped to prevent, treat, and learn about the disease: “The US government, through the USAID, will provide a surge of resources to Tanzania through the Initiative for Global Vaccine Access, or Global Vax, a US government effort to turn Covid-19 vaccines in vials into vaccinations in arms.” She said all interventions were being closely programmed with the government of Tanzania, in line with the country’s existing vaccination plans, and will help get vaccines to people quickly and equitably. Global Vax is a US government effort to help meet the global goal to vaccinate 70 percent of the world population against Covid-19 in 2022. Global Vax will increase support and resources to boost access to Covid-19 vaccines in an initial group of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Tanzania. Global Vax builds on President Joe Biden’s commitment to donate more than 1.2 billion vaccine doses around the world by the end of this year and intensify efforts to get shots in arms. As the largest vaccine donor to Tanzania, the US government has already donated nearly five million vaccine doses, with additional doses to be delivered in the coming months. As of February 24, 2022, over seven percent of eligible Tanzanians had been fully vaccinated. This new investment aims at rapidly accelerating vaccination rates, helping the government of Tanzania to reach its goal of 60 percent of the eligible populations vaccinated by the end of June 2022. Global Vax will also increase assistance and strengthen international coordination to identify and rapidly overcome vaccine access barriers. To date, the US has already committed $1.7 billion to support vaccine readiness work. On the call, US Ambassador to Tanzania Donald Wright highlighted this investment as a further indication of the US government’s long partnership with Tanzania. He stated: “This surge of new funds is possible in Tanzania because it builds upon our decades of investment in the health sector, utilising our existing partnership and structures to rapidly reach Tanzanians with vaccines.”
