The U.S. government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with ExxonMobil PNG, the Motu Koita Assembly, and the National Capital District (NCD) Provincial Health Authority, launched a second mobile vaccination clinic in Port Moresby on October 15 to support rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
This second mobile vaccination clinic joins the recognizable “big yellow bus” operated by the Motu Koita Assembly to take COVID-19 vaccines directly to the residents of the NCD, targeting small villages and hard-to-reach settlements that may not otherwise have access to vaccines. The bus will maintain a steady supply of COVID-19 vaccines donated through the COVAX Facility.
The United States remains the largest contributor to COVAX, providing $4 billion to support the global effort to provide safe and effective vaccines for 92 countries, including Papua New Guinea. PNG has already received 580,400 vaccine doses from the COVAX Facility, including 302,400 Johnson & Johnson vaccines donated by the U.S. government.
U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, Erin McKee, was joined by the Honorable NCD Governor, Powes Parkop; the Honorable Dadi Toka, Chairman of the Motu Koita Assembly and NCD Deputy Governor; Australia’s High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, Jon Philp; ExxonMobil PNG Managing Director Peter Larden; and FHI360’s Chief of Party Dr. Ignatius Mogaba, USAID’s implementing partner, to celebrate the rollout of the new mobile vaccine clinics.
“The U.S. government stands unwavering in our support to the Government of PNG to vaccinate as many Papua New Guineans as possible. The addition of this mobile clinic provides another, more convenient avenue for residents of the NCD to get vaccinated,” Ambassador McKee said. “We urge all residents of Port Moresby to be on the lookout for these ‘big yellow buses’ in your community and get the vaccine to protect yourselves, your families, and your Wantok.”
To date, the U.S. government, through USAID, has provided more than $11.7 million to address COVID-19 in Papua New Guinea. This assistance is part of a global campaign by the United States to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic and support equitable access to vaccines for the world’s most vulnerable.