DHAKA, Dec 19, 2021(BSS) - United States (US) ambassador to Bangladesh Earl Miller has said his country will continue to donate millions more doses of Pfizer vaccines.

   "We will stand together with Bangladesh in its aim to vaccinate 40 percent of the country's eligible population by the end of this year," he said.

   Miller made the remark as the US government has donated another 1.78 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to Bangladesh through COVAX, a US Embassy press release said here.

   With this shipment, the American people have now donated a total of 18.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Bangladesh, it also said.

   "We are proud to donate another shipment of Pfizer vaccines and help Bangladesh keep the momentum in getting as many people vaccinated as possible, especially youth," said Ambassador Miller.

   The new doses help the Government of Bangladesh expand Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations for young people ages 12 and up, reaching all 64 districts across the country, said the release.

   The US has been supporting Bangladesh's national COVID-19 vaccination campaign through training nearly 7,000 healthcare professionals to safely administer vaccines, donating cold-chain freezer trucks, and providing freezers and other equipment for health facilities to properly store and transport jabs across the country.

   The ongoing donations of Pfizer vaccines are part of the broader commitment by the United States to lead the global COVID-19 response by providing one billion doses of the Pfizer vaccine around the world-free of charge-through 2022.

   The US government has also contributed over $121 million in COVID-19-related assistance to Bangladesh.