The US embassy in Dhaka on Monday handed over brand new freezer trucks to the health ministry as a part of ongoing US support to the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Bangladesh.
The US Embassy’s Acting Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) William Dowers and US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Kathryn handed over the items to Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque in Dhaka.
USAID is donating a total of 18 freezer trucks to Bangladesh to help establish a dedicated fleet of vehicles properly equipped with cold-storage equipment to transport millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses across the country.
USAID purchased four trucks on the local market with an additional 14 vehicles to arrive in the coming months, said a US embassy Dhaka statement.
“The United States is pleased to donate these new freezer trucks and continue our partnership with Bangladesh in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope to sustain the impressive momentum Bangladesh has made in turning the tide against the pandemic,” said acting DCM Dowers.
The US government has donated 15 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and contributed over $121 million to fight the pandemic through USAID, the US Department of Defense, the US Department of State, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The United States has donated $4.0 billion to support the worldwide COVAX effort, which includes support for ultra-cold chain storage, transportation, and safe handling of COVID-19 vaccines, making the United States the world’s largest donor for equitable global COVID-19 vaccine access, it added.
