Mauritius received a new batch of Bivalent Pfizer vaccines from the United States of America to help counter the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the well-being of the population. The donation ceremony was held in presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Maneesh Gobin, and the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, this afternoon, at the Sir Harilal Vaghjee Memorial Hall in Port Louis.
The Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr Joyker Nayeck; the Ambassador of the USA, Mr Henry Victor Jardine; the World Health Organisation Representative in Mauritius, Dr Anne Marie Ancia; and the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms Lisa Simrique Singh, were also present.
On the occasion, around ten laptops were also remitted to the Ministry of Health and Wellness by the WHO with funds provided by the US Embassy. These laptops will be used for the collection and analysis of COVID-19 vaccination data including vaccination coverage.
In his address, Minister Gobin accentuated on the importance of getting vaccinated as people across the world are still prone to new variants of the COVID-19 infection. This donation, he said, is timely and will play a significant role in protecting the lives of our citizens especially those who are elderly and most vulnerable.
Underlining the heavy reliance of African countries on donation and donor-driven initiatives for vaccines, Minister Gobin, conveyed the strong will of the Government to develop our pharmaceutical sector as a new pillar of development and contribute in the creation of reliable and sustainable supply of quality vaccines.
He expressed gratitude to the US Government and the COVAX Facility for donating a total of almost half of a million of vaccine doses. The donation demonstrates US leadership in global health cooperation, goodwill and friendship which underpin the bilateral connections between Mauritius and the US, added the Minister.
For his part, the Health Minister, indicated that the US has provided funds to the tune of 950,000 US dollars to the WHO Country Office of Mauritius to support the Ministry of Health and Wellness for the COVID-19 response especially for the acquisition of vaccines, capacity building of health staff, and purchase of materials to enhance infection prevention and control in hospitals.
Mauritius, he observed, has succeeded in being one of the first African countries to achieve a high COVID-19 vaccine coverage. To date, Mauritius has vaccinated nearly 1 million of its population against COVID-19, he underscored.
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Minister Jagutpal further noted that some 440,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines have been donated to the Mauritian Government through the COVAX Facility and GAVI Alliance. According to him, Bivalent Pfizer Vaccine is one of the most effective vaccine against the emerging variants and sub-variants of Omicron. He thus urged senior citizens and people with comorbidities and chronic diseases to get inoculated for greater protection against emerging variants of COVID-19.
As for Mr Jardine, he dwelt on the core objective of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework to support Mauritius's efforts in realising the Sustainable Development Goals. A key pillar of the framework focuses on the need to invest in strengthening the health system so as to better protect the lives of our citizens, he stressed.
Dr Ancia, for her part, underpinned the determination and willingness of the WHO to work in close collaboration with Mauritius to ensure better health and guard the country from the negative socio-economic impacts.
