Update: USA Donates 6 Million Covid-19 Doses as Colombia Rocketing Past 25 Million Vaccinations

Colombia President Ivan Duque announced this morning (July 23) that the U.S. government is shipping yet another 3.5 million doses of free Covid-19 vaccine to Colombia on Sunday, July 25 — on top of 2.5 million doses earlier donated by the U.S. to Colombia last month.

This makes the U.S. government by far the biggest donor to Colombia in Covid-19 humanitarian aid.

According to the U.S Embassy in Bogota, the 6 million Covid-19 doses alone are worth US$52.5 million, while other forms of aid to Colombia this year to help confront the Covid crisis now total US$122.7 million.

To date, Colombia is the biggest single beneficiary of Covid-19 relief aid from the U.S. in the entire Latin American region, according to the Embassy.

Commenting on the new batch of 3.5 million Moderna vaccines coming to Colombia, President Duque stated: “We thank this gesture of solidarity by U.S. President Joe Biden with the Colombian people, which ratifies the strong relations between our countries.”

Meanwhile, Colombia just opened Covid-19 vaccinations to all residents 30-to-34-years-old, having earlier launched massive vaccination campaigns for various cohorts among those 35-years-and-older.

With Colombia already having surpassed more than 24 million vaccinations as of July 21 — and 10 days of continuing vaccinations coming during the remainder of July — the nation likely will have far surpassed its goal of having at least 25 million vaccinations by end-July, probably well in excess of 26 million.

While Colombia today doesn’t suffer so much from the sort of ignorant, hysterical, selfish,and politically bigoted anti-vaccine ideology as pushed by right-wing extremists in the U.S. – a phenomenon that ironically is infecting and killing thousands of people from the latest Covid-19 variation — too many people here nevertheless have been lazy about getting their shots, as Health Ministry promotion director Gerson Bermont announced earlier this month.

As a result, only about 60% of people here between 50 to 59 years old here so far have been vaccinated, Bermont lamented.

While 20% of the entire Colombia population so far has been totally immunized, a lot of work remains to ensure that the 35 million of Colombia’s most-vulnerable populations are fully immunized by December 2021, he added.

As of July 20, 92.4% of those 80 years and older here have been vaccinated, along with 83% of people 75 to 79 years old, he said.

Another 82% of those between 70 to 74, plus 77.4% of those between 65 to 69, have been vaccinated, while 72.9% of those 60 to 64 also have been vaccinated, he added.