The U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown is pleased to announce the delivery of nearly 200,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. These vaccines are donated to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean by the U.S. Government as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s global vaccine sharing framework.

This donation is in addition to the vaccines provided to the region through the COVAX Facility, which the United States supports with US$4 billion in financial commitments. Since April, COVAX has provided tens of thousands of residents in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean access to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The delivery of the Pfizer vaccines started Thursday, August 12, at St. Kitts and Nevis (11,700), Antigua and Barbuda (17,550), and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (35,100). The delivery to Barbados (70,200) took place Friday, August 13, and deliveries to Saint Lucia (52,650), on Tuesday, August 17, with Dominica (11,700) to follow.

On June 3, the Biden-Harris Administration announced its framework for sharing at least 80 million doses globally and set out its plan for the allocation the first 25 million doses. The allocation of this first tranche of donated doses reflects the desire of the United States to respond to all regions and lay the groundwork for increased vaccine supply and access throughout the world.

This pandemic knows no borders and helping our neighbors to contain the virus is critical to protecting the health and economic security of our shared community and stopping the spread of COVID-19 around the globe. The Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine approved for use in children as young as 12 years old. All the vaccines that the United States Government donates are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These are the same vaccines that all Americans can receive and are the same doses the United States is sharing globally. Scientific teams and legal and regulatory authorities from the United States and the region have worked together to ensure the delivery of safe and effective vaccines.

As President Biden said, “From the beginning of my presidency, we have been clear-eyed that we need to attack this virus globally as well. This is about our responsibility – our humanitarian obligation to save as many lives as we can – and our responsibility to our values. We’re going to help lead the world out of this pandemic, working alongside our global partners.”