Ambassador Kosnett’s Remarks for Vaccine Arrival Ceremony, August 20, 2021
Madam President, Prime Minister Kurti, Coordinator Richardson, distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen. It is a privilege to join you today to welcome the arrival of the first portion of the U.S. donation of more than half a million safe, effective Pfizer vaccine doses to assist Kosovo in its fight against COVID-19.
This gift from the American people is the largest single vaccine donation to Kosovo from any country or organization. When complete, the U.S. donation will bring to over 700,000 the number of doses delivered through the COVAX mechanism, a global initiative to support access to safe and effective vaccines. With its $2 billion dollar contribution, the United States is the largest contributor to COVAX.
In addition to vaccines, since the start of the pandemic, the United States has provided almost $4 million dollars in protective gear, medical equipment, grants for online learning, and other pandemic related assistance to help schools, medical facilities, families, and communities across Kosovo’s 38 municipalities.
More vaccine is on the way. But vaccines only work if individuals get vaccinated. Many people still believe the vaccine is not necessary, or that if they have contracted and survived COVID, they cannot get sick again. This is simply not true, particularly in light of the dramatic increase in cases caused by the Delta variant.
So please – get vaccinated to protect yourselves, your families, and your communities. Together, we can defeat COVID-19.
