Juba, South Sudan, September 14, 2021: The United States is donating 152,950 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to the people of South Sudan in its response to COVID-19. This is part of a worldwide effort by the United States to combat the global pandemic, which has resulted in the donation of half a billion doses worldwide.
David Renz, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., stated, “This donation of vaccines strengthens the relationship between the people of the United States and South Sudan and comes at a critical time in South Sudan’s efforts against COVID-19. This donation, coordinated with key international partners, including Gavi, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization, underscores our collective resolve in responding to the global challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The vaccine doses arrived in South Sudan on September 14, 2021. The U.S. Embassy and officials from the Government of South Sudan, and representatives from Gavi, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization were present.
As of September 2021, the U.S. Government has provided $197 million in assistance for South Sudan’s COVID-19 response. These funds include $176 million in COVID-19 relief funds through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). These funds support emergency food assistance, risk communication and community engagement, infection prevention and control, surveillance, contact tracing, vaccine rollout, and other measures to combat the spread of COVID-19. Through Migration and Refugee Assistance funds, the Department of State has also provided $10 million in humanitarian assistance that will support refugees and host communities during the pandemic.
The U.S. Government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has allocated $11 million have been allocated for technical assistance and implementation support to the Ministry of Health for emergency preparedness and response, including a public health/disease alert hotline, contact tracing, home-based care, data management, human resource capacity-building, vaccinations, and coordination. CDC also provides direct epidemiology, laboratory, and risk communication and community engagement technical assistance to the Ministry of Health through experts from the United States and neighboring countries.
As of late August, the United States has shipped over 125 million doses to over 80 nations. President Biden said, “According to the United Nations, this is more than the donations of all 24 countries that have donated any vaccine to other countries, including China and Russia — all those nations combined. These vaccine donations from America are free. We’re not selling them. There are no demands, no conditions, no coercion attached. And there is no favoritism and no strings attached. We’re doing this to save lives and to end this pandemic.”
This vaccine donation is aligned with U.S. efforts and international engagement to combat COVID-19, promote health, and advance global health security, including supporting global vaccine distribution, research and development for treatments, tests, and vaccines. This funding has also been used to address the secondary impacts of COVID-19 on education, employment, and food security sectors.
The United States has invested $7.4 billion in total assistance in South Sudan, including $5.6 billion in humanitarian aid and $1.8 billion in development assistance. The U.S. Government’s long-standing health programs in South Sudan protect communities from infectious diseases, work to end preventable child and maternal deaths, and aim to create an AIDS-free generation.
For more information please contact:
U.S. Embassy Juba Public Affairs Office
jubapas@state.gov; +211-912152994
