Deyalsingh: TT talking to four covid19 vaccine-makers

HEALTH Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said as well as efforts to get the covid19 vaccine via the Covax facility and the African Union/African Medicines Council, TT is in direct bilateral talks with four vaccine manufacturers.

TT has already spoken to Pfizer, Moderna, Sinopharm, and will soon talk to Johnson and Johnson, the minister said.

He was replying to a listed oral question from Fyzabad MP Dr Lackram Bodoe in the House of Representatives on Friday.

Deyalsingh said TT paid US$1.477 or $10 million to Covax on September 29 as a down payment.

He said Pfizer was not initially a member of Covax but joined subsequently, on January 22.

"Bilateral discussions with the vaccine manufacturer Pfizer and the Ministry of Health began in earnest on December 22, 2020 with the intention of purchasing vaccines for use."

He said a confidentiality agreement with Pfizer stops him disclosing any details until a contract is signed.

Otherwise, he said TT will be allocated 226,000 doses of vaccine out of a Caricom allocation via the African Union/African Medicines Council.

Deyalsingh also pointed out, "We don't have a firm date yet for receiving vaccines outside of Covax. We have a firm date from PAHO for within Covax, which I have announced. They are saying from the end of February/beginning of March, we will get between 100,000 and 117,000-120,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

"Outside of Covax ,we are having bilateral talks not only with Pfizer. We've had talks with Moderna, Sinopharm and we are also going to be having separate bilateral talks with Johnson and Johnson."

Bodoe asked about the Caricom initiative to the African Medicines Council.

Deyalsingh said within this approach, TT is now registered to receive 226,000 doses of whichever brand of vaccine is allocated under a Covax-style facility, but he did not have firm dates yet.

"We are trying to get not only the quantity but also price arrangements and so on. So we are working behind the scenes, very hard, to do all those things."