For Immediate Release
October 21, 2021
This month, the United States announced an additional $800,000 in COVID-19 assistance for Malaysia. This assistance will support the Government of Malaysia’s efforts to vaccinate hard-to-reach and vulnerable communities. It will also support safe quarantine facilities for these communities, assisting in the protection of Malaysia from SARS-CoV-2 and helping to keep Malaysia’s economic recovery moving forward. The Malaysian Red Crescent will implement this assistance in Malaysia.
In a meeting with Her Highness Dato’ Seri DiRaja Tan Sri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz Almarhum Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, Tunku Temenggong Kedah, National Chairperson of the Malaysian Red Crescent Society, and Haji Hakim, Secretary General of the Malaysian Red Crescent, Ambassador McFeeters thanked them for the organization’s ongoing work to support Malaysia’s efforts against COVID-19. “Malaysia is doing a wonderful job at vaccinating its population, and this additional assistance will enhance efforts to assist vulnerable communities and help keep the whole country safe.”
“As we race to contain COVID-19 once and for all, these USAID funds are critical for our work to help us protect people from this disease, particularly those most vulnerable,” said Tan Sri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz Almarhum Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, Tunku Temenggong Kedah. “We are striving to reach the last mile in our vaccinations in all corners of the country and we must remember that no one is safe until everyone is safe. COVID-19 is indifferent to one’s race, religion, ethnicity, or nationality. Thank you to Ambassador McFeeters and USAID for supporting Malaysian Red Crescent efforts.”
This additional assistance builds on more than $2 million in COVID-19 assistance from the United States to Malaysia since the pandemic first began. On July 5th, the United States donated 1 million Pfizer vaccines to Malaysia, and has also donated medical supplies, COVID-19 test kits, ambulances, and more. The U.S. business community in Malaysia, through MYAMCHAMCares, has also provided over RM7 million in donations to COVID-19 relief efforts since 2020.
These efforts build on decades of life-saving work and U.S. leadership in tackling global health crises. Over the past 60 years, U.S. assistance has saved millions of lives from diseases such as Ebola, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and now COVID-19. In Malaysia, USAID and the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAD) have funded critical research to help predict and prevent future pandemics for over a decade.
The United States is committed to partnering with Malaysia to end the COVID-19 pandemic, mitigate its devastating social and economic impacts, and build back a world that is even better prepared for future outbreaks.
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美国为大马提供 80万美元额外援助
本月，美国宣布向马来西亚额外提供 80 万美元的抗疫援助。这项援助将支持大马政府为难以接洽和弱势的群体提供疫苗接种。援助还将为这些社区提供安全的隔离设施，保护马来西亚免受疫情侵害，同时协助经济复苏。马来西亚红新月会将进行这项援助。
在与马来西亚红新月会主席东姑英丹莎菲娜和秘书长哈芝哈尔金会面时，麦菲特大使感谢该组织支持大马抗疫的努力。 “马来西亚在为其人口接种疫苗方面做得非常出色，这项额外的援助将加强帮助弱势社区并确保整个国家的安全。”
马来西亚红新月会主席东姑英丹莎菲娜说：“当我们努力全面解决疫情问题时，来自美国国际开发署的资金对于保护人们，尤其是最弱势的群体，至关重要。我们正努力在全国各地完成疫苗接种的最后一里路，我们必须记住，在每个人都安全之前，没有任何人是绝对安全的。 冠状病毒不会只选择某某种族、宗教、民族或国籍。”
在疫情爆发以来，美国已向马来西亚提供超过 200 万美元的援助，而此次的援助是额外增加的款项。 7月5日，美国向马来西亚捐赠了100万剂辉瑞疫苗，美国还捐赠了医疗用品、COVID-19检测试剂盒、救护车等。自 2020 年以来，在马来西亚的美国商界也通过美马商会关爱计划为抗疫救援工作提供了超过 700 万令吉的捐款。
这些努力奠定于美国这数十年间生命救助与其在应对全球健康危机方面的领导地位。在过去的 60 年里，美国的援助挽救了数百万人的生命，使他们免受伊波拉、爱滋病毒、肺结核、疟疾和COVID-19 等疾病的危害。美国国际开发署和美国国立卫生研究院 (NIH) 国家过敏和传染病研究所 (NIAD) 十多年来一直在马来西亚资助关键研究，以帮助预防未知的流行病。
美国致力于与马来西亚合作结束 COVID-19 大流行，减轻其破坏力及对社会和经济的影响，并重建一个充分准备面对未来疾病爆发的世界。
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