[UPDATED] UNC takes credit for Indian vaccine donation

THE United National Congress (UNC) took credit on Wednesday for the promised donations to Trinidad and Tobago of 40,000 AstraZeneca covid19 vaccines from India and 100,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China, announced earlier by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).

UNC PRO Dr Kirk Meighoo issued a statement saying: "The UNC is pleased at the fruit of our tireless efforts to ensure that TT gets vaccinated quickly and in the required numbers, while taking advantage of the offer of free vaccine donations from India, and other sources.

"The Opposition has fulfilled its role of taking up the slack left by this heartless, arrogant and destructive Government."

The statement chided the Prime Minister and the Health Minister.

"Just last week Keith Rowley insulted our Caricom neighbours, calling them 'beggars,' to hide his and Terrence Deyalsingh's negligence and inaction. In the meanwhile, the Opposition worked hard to keep this issue in the spotlight and on the table, to expedite the opening and commencement of rebuilding TT's economy."

The UNC vowed to continue to work hard for the people of TT, even in opposition, to use available resources, with the support of the people, to steer the country in the right direction.

Caroni East MP Dr Rishad Seecheran told Newsday the party was "very, very grateful" for the donations, as he lauded UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar for "applying a bit of pressure" to get vaccines from India.

However. he had concerns that the Sinopharm vaccine was not yet approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), and no one knew how long this would take.

He wondered how long any shipment of the vaccine sent to TT would have to be stored while awaiting WHO approval and at what temperature.

"Does it have an expiration date?" he asked. "All these things have to be considered, because WHO approval is not an easy thing. It may happen tomorrow, next week or next month, but we don't know exactly when.

"We hope it is approved, because it is a facility we need, with such a scarcity of vaccines on the market."

Seecheran said India's AstraZeneca vaccine has been WHO-approved, as he noted that TT had received 2,000 doses for frontline workers such as doctors and nurses (referring to Barbados's donation of part of its supply from India), These staff got their first dose and are set to get a second, he noted.

The need for vaccines was also underlined by covid19 outbreaks among police and immigration officers respectively, Seecheran said, urging more efforts to access vaccines from sources such as Covax and the African Union.

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

THE United National Congress (UNC) took credit on Wednesday for the promised donation to Trinidad and Tobago of 40,000 AstraZeneca covid19 vaccines from India, announced earlier by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM.)

UNC PRO Dr Kirk Meighoo issued a statement saying: "The UNC is pleased at the fruit of our tireless efforts to ensure that TT gets vaccinated quickly and in the required numbers, while taking advantage of the offer of free vaccine donations from India, and other sources."

However, it said later via social media that while it was "taking credit for raising and keeping the issue of acquiring free vaccine donations (sic) on the front burner," it did not specifically ask or take credit for "unapproved vaccines from China."

It did not specify what "other sources" of vaccines its first statement referred to.

Trinidad and Tobago is also expected to receive 100,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from China.

The UNC release also said, "The Opposition has fulfilled its role of taking up the slack left by this heartless, arrogant and destructive Government."

The statement chided the Prime Minister and the Health Minister.

"Just last week Keith Rowley insulted our Caricom neighbours, calling them 'beggars,' to hide his and Terrence Deyalsingh's negligence and inaction. In the meanwhile, the Opposition worked hard to keep this issue in the spotlight and on the table, to expedite the opening and commencement of rebuilding TT's economy."

The UNC vowed to continue to work hard for the people of TT, even in opposition, to use available resources, with the support of the people, to steer the country in the right direction.

Editor's note: The original version of this story suggested the UNC was claiming credit not only for vaccine donations from India but also the gift from China.