U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Thailand -- Today, the United States donated 1,503,450 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Thailand. This historic shipment, which reaffirms U.S. support to our oldest ally in Asia, arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport this morning.
We are also proud to confirm that the United States will provide an additional one million vaccine doses to Thailand – on top of the doses that arrived today – for a total of 2.5 million doses.
The United States government stands side-by-side with our partner Thailand to fight COVID-19 and begin the process of economic recovery. This partnership reflects President Biden’s commitment to provide safe and effective vaccinations to countries in need.
The Biden-Harris Administration announced that the United States would share 80 million vaccine doses of America’s own vaccine supply to help end this global pandemic, and this shipment of Pfizer doses demonstrates the priority we place on our partnership with Thailand. President Biden’s plan for the 80 million donated doses includes 23 million for Asia, an effort that will help keep the region – and Thailand – safe. These donations are in addition to the United States’ $4 billion in commitments to COVAX, the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Initiative.
This donation of 1.5 million Pfizer doses, and the millions of doses the United States is providing to neighboring countries, will help Thailand and the region accelerate their vaccination campaigns, keep their populations safe, and ensure that their economies can recover quickly.
Our vaccines do not come with strings attached. We are doing this with the singular objective of saving lives and with the full knowledge that none of us are safe until all of us are safe. As such, we are happy to hear the Royal Thai Government has committed to distributing these vaccines equitably to all residents of Thailand and to prioritizing those most at risk.
Developed jointly by American pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. and German biotechnology company BioNTech SE, the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was the first to receive emergency use authorization from the World Health Organization and is 95 percent effective in preventing COVID-19, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
For over 60 years, the United States and Thailand have joined forces to address critical issues affecting public health. This cooperation has increased since the start of the pandemic, with the United States working hand-in-hand with Thai partners to strengthen local responses to COVID-19 and help Thailand access critical medical equipment. To date, total U.S. government COVID-19-related assistance has helped the Thai government prepare laboratory systems, activate case-finding and event-based surveillance, support technical experts for response and preparedness, promote risk-communications, prevent and control infectious diseases in health facilities, and support displaced people along the border. We have also provided ventilators, respirators, testing kits, surgical masks, goggles, and other protective equipment to Thailand’s heroic medical personnel, nurses, and health volunteers who are working to curb the outbreak.
The U.S. – Thai health partnership has already saved countless lives around the world through research, development, and treatment breakthroughs. And we have been working together vigorously to stop COVID-19 since the first outbreak last year.
Since 1948, the United States has been the largest contributor to the World Health Organization. We understand that global health security depends on resilient, transparent, and responsive health care systems. The United States is committed to leading the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is the largest contributor to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, a global initiative to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
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