2.5 Million Vaccines Were Shipped to Colombia to Save Lives
Washington, DC — On Wednesday, July 30th, 2021, Colombian Ambassador to the United States Francisco Santos, along with officials from the Colombian Ministry of Health and members of the Colombian Air Force, received on Wednesday, the 2.5 million Janssen vaccines from senior U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials at the Memphis International Airport. From there, the vaccines were shipped to Colombia.
U.S. President Joe Biden informed Colombian President Iván Duque of the donation during a phone between the two leaders on Monday, June 28th, 2021.
“We thank President Biden for this beautiful gesture he has made to our country, to donate 2.5 million Janssen vaccines to reach 2.5 million Colombians, since it is a single dose,” said President Duque.
“Words cannot express our gratitude for this generous donation of life-saving vaccines to our country,” said Ambassador Santos. “To President Biden, members of his Administration, congressional leaders, their staff and all those who helped my team at the Embassy secure these vaccines, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
The donation contributed to Colombia’s goal of vaccinating 70 percent of its 50 million inhabitants, which includes Colombians and Venezuelan migrants who have fled the Maduro dictatorship.