The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), donated an additional $2 million to support the response of the government of El Salvador to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With this grant, the U.S. government has provided $28 million to El Salvador since the onset of the emergency. The U.S. government is also the largest donor to the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX). It has provided $2 billion to COVAX for the purchase of vaccines globally, and plans to provide another $2 billion. This will provide access to vaccines to countries around the world, including El Salvador.
The donation ceremony took place at the National Biological Center (CENABI, in Spanish) in Soyapango, which currently serves as a vaccine storage and distribution facility. U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Brendan O’Brien announced the donation, which was received by Salvadoran Minister of Health Francisco Alabí, who thanked the U.S. government for its support.
The grant will support the Salvadoran government’s immunization campaign by providing essential equipment such as smart tablets and laptops to collect and transfer immunization data, adverse reaction kits for the vaccination centers, logistical support for refrigerated trucks to move vaccines safely from CENABI to the vaccination centers, and training for health personnel in handling and monitoring the vaccination response.
USAID will also support the Salvadoran government’s communication and outreach plan to inform the population about vaccines, the location of vaccination centers, and provide technical support to establish standard operating procedures to improve the Salvadoran government’s operational capacity to vaccinate some 4.5 million Salvadorans.
The U.S. Chargé d’Affaires reaffirmed the commitment of the American people to continue supporting El Salvador. “We will continue to work with the government of El Salvador and all relevant partners to support them in their COVID-19 prevention, mitigation, detection, and care efforts. Our mission is to save lives. It is our number one priority. Together we save lives; together we move forward.”
For his part, the Minister of Health said: “With this support received from our strategic partner, the U.S. government, we will further strengthen and promote the vaccination strategy in very fundamental aspects: from logistics, storage, technological resources, to cooperation for the dissemination of vaccination communication strategies at the national level.”
With this support received from our strategic partner, the U.S. government, we will further strengthen and promote the vaccination strategy in very fundamental aspects: from logistics, storage, technological resources, to cooperation for the dissemination of vaccination communication strategies at the national level,” Salvadoran Minister of Health Francisco Alabí.
