Deyalsingh: Trinidad and Tobago getting 173,600 covid19 vaccines

HEALTH Minister Terrence Deyalsingh declared on Wednesday that Trinidad and Tobago will receive a total of 173, 600 covid19 vaccines from India, China and Covax in the coming months.

While TT awaits their arrival, Deyalsingh said efforts to obtain 351,000 vaccines from Pfizer are ongoing.

As he made this declaration in the Senate and stressed that the Prime Minister's efforts were non-political, Opposition Senator Wade Mark insisted the country should thank Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for the vaccines that are expected to come from India.

Responding to Mark's question about whether an order from Pfizer has been cancelled, Deyalsingh said, "As late as March 4,2021, talks are ongoing."

While uncertainties over the purchase and supply of vaccines worldwide continue, Deyalsingh said, "I am happy to re-announce – because the Prime Minister announced it – that we will be getting 40,000 doses WHO- (World Health Organization) approved vaccines from the Government of India."

He added, "I want to thank the Prime Minister for his work."

Deyalsingh also announced, "Additionally, pending WHO approval, which should be soon, we will be getting 100,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine (from China).

"By the end of the month, as we said," he went on, "we expect 33,600 (vaccines) from Covax.

"So in total, we expect in the incoming weeks and couple of months, a total of 173,600 doses of vaccines in TT."

As Deyalsingh congratulated Dr Rowley again, he declared, "This is non-political. He has worked very hard behind the scenes and he has said thanks to the people of India and China for these gifts."

Opposition senators thumped their desks as Mark countered, "I would like to say congratulations to the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar prevailing upon the Indian government to supply us with 40,000 doses of vaccine."

Persad-Bissessar wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February to request a supply of vaccines for TT. To date, there has been no indication that the Indian government has responded to her request.

As the uproar from Opposition senators subsided, Senate President Christine Kangaloo said, "Is that a question? Senator Mark, please ask the question."

Mark quipped, "I could not resist."

He asked Deyalsingh for an assurance that the 351,000 vaccines being ordered from Pfizer will arrive in TT "fully paid for by the Government of TT."

Deyalsingh replied,"These things are not available on a shelf that you just order and pick up. It's a dynamic situation where supply is constantly trying to catch up with demand.

"As a result,it would be inappropriate for me to give assurances at this time."

After explaining that Pfizer and Moderna have to increase their combined deliveries of 80 million doses to reach their promised target of 22 million shots by March 31, Deyalsingh said the time taken to produce a covid19 vaccine batch should be reduced from 110 to 60 days under an initiative called Project Lightspeed.

Deyalsingh rejected Mark's claims that Pfizer misled TT about when it could receive vaccines from the company.

"Pfizer did not mislead us. That was the information at the time, and this is an evolving, fluid situation for all countries and vaccine manufacturers. What we anticipated today is now changing by the minute. There was no assurance. There was an indication."

On Tuesday in the Senate, Deyalsingh said Ansa McAl Group CEO Anthony N Sabga III, Supermarkets Association president Rajiv Diptee and himself "will be working to procure safe WHO-approved vaccines for TT if available to the private sector.

"We assure the public that if and when there is a viable outcome, we will alert the public."

Deyalsingh also dismissed claims that Government could not pay the estimated US$8.4 million for the Pfizer vaccines.