The United States—through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Monday—announced US$5.2 million in urgent COVID-19 assistance for Jamaica. Specifically, these funds will support the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) to address urgent needs and fill gaps in order to accelerate widespread, equitable access to and the delivery and up-take of safe effective COVID-19 vaccines; and to reduce morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 through critical public health and clinical interventions.
“The US$5.2 million in funding will advance vaccination and strengthen health systems to diagnose, manage and mitigate COVID-19 transmission. Importantly, this funding will help Jamaica deliver safe and effective vaccines by filling critical gaps to support Jamaica’s achievement of a 65% vaccination rate by March 2022,” says Chargé d’ Affaires John McIntyre.
This additional assistance from the historic American Rescue Plan builds on the more than US$10 million in COVID-19 assistance the U.S. government has donated to the government and people of Jamaica since the pandemic first broke out. In the last year, through a multi-agency approach, the U.S. Government’s support includes to date: 208,260 Pfizer vaccine doses, a donation of a field hospital and a host of medical supplies supporting the island’s health, education, and security sectors.
“This assistance comes at a critical time to accelerate the COVID-19 fight and respond to crises exacerbated by the pandemic. USAID not only stands ready but will continue to support the government and people of Jamaica to help bolster the health systems against future threats,” said Jason Fraser, USAID/Jamaica Country Representative.
These efforts build on decades of life-saving work and U.S. leadership in tackling global health crises. Over the past 60 years, USAID has saved millions of lives from diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Zika and now COVID-19.
Diseases know no borders. The U.S. is committed to partnering with Jamaica to end the COVID-19 pandemic, mitigate its devastating social and economic impacts, and build back a world that is even better prepared for future outbreaks.
