AKIPRESS.COM - As part of the United States Government’s comprehensive global response against the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) recently allocated an additional $2.5 million to Uzbekistan.

This brings the total direct U.S. Government contribution to support Uzbekistan’s efforts to combat COVID-19 to over $16 million. USAID will use these additional funds to provide senior-level technical assistance on ensuring quality of medicines, and to address vaccine hesitancy in the country, the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent said.

“More and more people are getting fully vaccinated in Uzbekistan. But the fight is far from over — the virus continues to rage in this country and new variants pose a constant global threat. Ending the pandemic is vital to keeping everyone safe, saving lives, and rebuilding global economies,” said Mikaela Meredith, USAID Mission Director to Uzbekistan. “Vaccines are a key tool in that effort, and the Biden Administration is committed to that effort, recently announcing that the United States has donated and shipped more than 200 million U.S. COVID-⁠19 vaccine doses worldwide,” she added.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, USAID has worked closely with the Government of Uzbekistan to strengthen the national laboratory systems for large-scale testing; prevent and control infections in labs and healthcare facilities; improve diagnostic capacity, COVID-19 surveillance and rapid response; enhance the treatment of infected people; and improve public awareness of COVID-19, community engagement, and volunteer mobilization.

In addition to supporting measures to combat the spread of COVID-19, USAID partners with the Government of Uzbekistan to diversify the country’s economy and increase regional trade, address tuberculosis and other health threats, support early education efforts, and build the government’s capacity to respond to the population’s needs.