[UPDATED] India, China donate vaccines to Trinidad and Tobago

The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has announced that Trinidad and Tobago is to receive vaccines from India and China.

In a release, the OPM said the Indian Government had officially informed the TT Government on Wednesday that 40,000 doses of WHO-approved AstraZeneca covid19 vaccines have now been approved for donation to TT.

It said this followed official correspondence from TT’s Prime Minister to the Prime Minister of India.

The release said the People’s Republic of China has offered 100,000 doses of covid19 vaccines to TT to support and safeguard the health of the people of TT. It said TT had accepted the “generous offer of the Sinopharm vaccine as we anxiously await WHO approval.”

It said Dr Rowley has expressed his sincerest appreciation and gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping for their generosity to the people of TT.

The OPM said all relevant arrangements are being made for the shipment of the vaccines to Port of Spain.

In a statement, Indian High Commissioner to TT Arun Kumar Sahu expressed pride that India had been able to support TT at this time.

“I feel proud that my country, a civilisation of 5,000 years and the biggest democracy in the world, has been able to extend a hand of support to the people and government of TT in their fight against the covid19 pandemic. I express my deepest gratitude to my Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and my colleagues in the Ministry of External Affairs for making this possible.”

Sahu said there was tremendous goodwill in India for the people of TT.

“The donation of AstraZeneca vaccines is a clear reiteration of that long-standing historical, cultural, social and friendly relations. I inherit a tradition that believes in (Sanskrit) 'Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayaah' (May all be happy and may all be healthy and free of illness). India's 'Vaccine Maitri' initiative is based on that ethos, and I'm glad that we have been able to uphold that spirit for the people in the Caribbean."

The donation comes following some diplomatic confusion as to whether or not TT would be receiving donated vaccines from India.

Chinese Ambassador Fang Qiu, in a statement to Newsday, said the vaccine offering came as a result of a telephone meeting between Rowley and Xi.

“As a deliverable of this top-level interaction, the Chinese government has worked in real earnest to decide on this donation in a very short period of time, to support TT for its efforts to safeguard the health of its people. China will also facilitate with TT’s procurement of Chinese vaccines. This is a new testimony to China and TT standing in solidarity and brotherhood to fight against this pandemic. This donation is a concrete action of implementing President Xi’s promise to the world that China’s vaccines will be a global public good, especially for developing countries, to make China’s contribution to vaccines equity, accessibility and affordability worldwide.”

Fang said this is also a follow-up to the joint efforts of China and TT against this pandemic, as both governments share the value of “putting the people first” and going all out to bring the virus under control domestically. He reminded that China has provided anti-pandemic supplies and technical assistance for TT through various channels, including medical masks.

According to the World Health Organization, the assessment process for the Sinopharm vaccine is in progress, with an anticipated decision date in earliest April.

The addition of these 140,000 vaccines, along with the 33,600 vaccines from the first tranche of those from Covax, means that TT could shortly be in possession of 173,600 vaccines.

Concerning developments in India

Even as the donation of vaccines to TT was announced, several international media outlets, including Reuters and the BBC, reported that India would be temporarily halting exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine in order to deal with domestic cases following a rise in infections. This is expected to affect supplies until the end of April. The media outlets did not name the sources of their information.

They noted that this suspension of exports would affect 190 countries under the Covax facility.

The Indian High Commission, the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs were approached for comment on the reports, but no response was received.

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) has announced that Trinidad and Tobago will be receiving vaccines from India and China.

In a release, the OPM said the India Government officially informed the TT Government on Wednesday that 40,000 doses of WHO-approved AstraZeneca vaccines have now been approved for donation to Trinidad and Tobago. It said this followed official correspondence from TT’s Prime Minister to the Prime Minister of India.

The release said the People’s Republic of China has offered 100,000 doses of covid19 vaccines to TT to support and safeguard the health of the people of TT. It said TT had accepted the “generous offer of the Sinopharm vaccine as we anxiously await WHO approval.”

It said Dr Rowley has expressed his sincerest appreciation and gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping for their generosity to the people of TT.

The OPM said all relevant arrangements are being made for the shipment of the vaccines to Port of Spain.