U.S. and AUB Launch Nationwide Covid-19 Vaccination Campaign
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea, Dr. Fadi Sanan representing Health Minister Firass Abiad and Dr. Souha Kanj of the American University of Beirut who represented AUB President Fadlo Khuri on Thursday launched the Moderna Covid-19 vaccination campaign at Haykel Hospital in Tripoli.
The United States, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has recently donated over 600,000 vaccine doses to support the Lebanese government's National Vaccination Strategy against the Covid-19 pandemic.
"USAID is working in partnership with the American University of Beirut (AUB), with the support and supervision of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), to vaccinate as many individuals as possible nationwide and ensure the vaccines are distributed equitably, transparently, and safely," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.
"To achieve this goal, AUB is cooperating with a number of hospitals, medical centers, universities and non-governmental organizations to reach remote areas where the vaccination rate is still low. The vaccination campaign, extending over a period of six months, will be rolled out in the AUB Medical Center in Beirut; the Rayak Hospital in the Beqaa; and Albert Haykel Hospital, Al-Yousif Hospital, and Nini Hospital in the North. This campaign is open to women aged 18 and above, and men aged 25 and above," the statement said.
AUB has provided training to medical staff in partner hospitals, universities and other organizations on the Moderna vaccine handling and administration and will ensure the "proper communication and distribution of the vaccines to the vaccination centers and mobile clinics."
Dr. Soha Kanj, representing the President of the American University of Beirut, said: “We thank USAID for standing by AUB and Lebanon as we continue to defy this pandemic which is severely affecting our beloved country.”
In her remarks, U.S. Ambassador Shea stated: “This is the largest single donation of vaccines to Lebanon... and today’s clinic is one of many that distributes these vaccines, with a focus on people living outside Beirut… Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have worked alongside the American University of Beirut, NGOs, private companies, and a consortium of ten partner hospitals across Lebanon to mitigate and respond to the social, economic, and health-related impacts of Covid-19. The U.S. government provided more than $100 million in Covid-related assistance to Lebanon that ranged from personal protective equipment to mobile testing units.”
From his side, Dr. Fadi Sanan, representing the Minister of Public Health, said: “Today we gladly received more than 600,000 doses of Moderna and J&J vaccines donated by the U.S. Government to support the vaccination process in Lebanon. This significant donation is one of the largest vaccine donations submitted to the ministry of public health. We highly appreciate this initiative which demonstrates the U.S. Government commitment.”
