By Esther Wright
It must be noted that with the arrival of just over 500,000 new vaccines from the United States in Sierra Leone in March alone, the United States reached an important milestone of 500 million vaccines donated world-wide.
The 200,000 Pfizer vaccines donated March 17 and the 302,200 Johnson & Johnson vaccines donated on March 15 are part of the over 800,000 vaccines donated to Sierra Leone by the United States since last year.
As of December 2021, the Pfizer vaccine was approved for children in Sierra Leone as young as 12 years old. To celebrate the latest vaccine arrivals, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission, Elaine French, visited St. Joseph’s Secondary School in Freetown on the 23rd March 2022 to observe U.S. donated vaccines in action.
“COVID-19 vaccination is critical to preventing the spread of this disease and ending this pandemic. Vaccination at schools like this will ensure that the people and youth of Sierra Leone are protected,” said Ms. French. “We are grateful for our partnership with our other donor partners, the immunization program, and the Ministry of Health. The increased vaccination coverage in the country is an example of how this partnership produces meaningful results.”
Since COVID-19 vaccines have become available, the United States, in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone, has worked to prevent COVID-19 infections. Already 20% of Sierra Leoneans over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated. United States vaccine donations and assistance will help Sierra Leone meet the ambitious WHO target of 70% vaccination by the end of 2022.
