TT among 11 Caribbean countries in PAHO's Covax plan

TT IS AMONG 11 Caribbean countries in the Pan American Health Organization's (PAHO) financing mechanism plan for the purchase of vaccines against covid19.

PAHO director Clarissa Etienne speaking at a virtual press conference on Wednesday, reported that the organisation is working on ways for  all countries in the Americas to access a vaccine.

"We are evaluating the legal, judicial and economic steps and actively collaborating with financial entities to support countries for the acquisition of vaccines through advance payment, all through the Covax mechanism," said Etienne.

Covax is a platform that supports the research, development and manufactureof a wide range of covid19 vaccine candidates and negotiates their prices.

"In the Caribbean, PAHO is working with many financial institutions in the region, the Caribbean Subregional Programme Co-ordination, and with the European Union so that all countries can receive support," said Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO deputy director, in response to a question from Newsday.

Barbosa said there is an inventory of 190 experimental vaccines and 11 have advanced to phase III of human trials already. PAHO will support the distribution of a vaccine that has been proven in clinical trials to be effective and safe and supervised by the scientific community.

PAHO director of communicable diseases Marcos Espina recommended that individual countries do not make agreements to buy vaccines independently, since all vaccines in the various phases of scientific studies approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) are affiliated with the Covax mechanism.

“We must maintain a solid and constant course while vaccines are not approved, with efficient surveillance and frequent health measures,” Espina recommended.