The United States has donated millions of shots to Nepal to fight COVID-19. The U.S. sent 2.2 million doses of pediatric COVID shots for use in the country’s program to vaccinate kids aged five to 11 years old, according to the U.S. Embassy in Nepal. The U.S. also pledged to help the Nepal Health Ministry train healthcare workers in 56 districts to administer the Pfizer vaccine.
The U.S. embassy released a statement, “This donation also celebrates 75 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Nepal. The United States’ historic support for Nepal’s health sector reflects the powerful results of our partnership.”
At a conference on the COVID-19 pandemic, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “We’ve got many more ready to go for countries that want them.”
Secretary Blinken said that 550 million doses had been shipped, about half of what it has promised to give by the end of the year. Blinken also conveyed the resolve of the U.S. by cautioning against “pandemic fatigue” and a lack of political will.
“The United States continues to be intently focused on fighting the pandemic and leaving the world better prepared and better defended for whatever comes next,” Blinken said.
The United States now leads the world in donating COVID vaccines, despite vaccine hesitancy among Americans. The U.S. is also the global leader in immunizing children with pediatric COVID vaccines.
The World Health Organization has recommended the Pfizer vaccine for kids over five; however, the necessity of booster shots for children has yet to be established.
Despite the push by U.S. officials to supply pediatric COVID vaccines, there is debate in the medical community about whether vaccinating children is the right thing to do.
Last month, North Carolina Physicians for Freedom (NCPFF) issued a report claiming several risks of using pediatric COVID vaccines on children. Using the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, NCPFF found that pediatric COVID vaccines were linked to more deaths and negative occurrences in a single year than all other childhood vaccines combined over the past 31 years.
“Even this high number of deaths probably under-reports by a factor of 20 to 44, according to two analyses,” NCPFF said.
Among reported adverse side effects are myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, and blood clots, NCPFF stated. NCPFF also said the risk of heart problems resulting from the vaccines among boys aged 12 to 15 years “is much higher than the risk they might have to be hospitalized because of COVID-19 itself.”