Playing smart with vaccine foolishness

THE EDITOR: It’s hard to tell whether TT’s ongoing covid19 vaccine saga is as a result of brash governmental incompetence or pure negligence.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s clear that developed countries have for the most part hoarded vaccines to the disadvantage of small developing states, as even the United Nations recently acknowledged the astonishing situation in which only ten countries have used 75 per cent of the world's covid19 vaccines.

But perhaps the real question is whether TT’s current lack of vaccines (not counting those received as a result of the good graces of our Bajan brothers) is a result of that hoarding situation.

Well in my estimation, partially yes, but it is disingenuous (to say the least) for the Government to suggest that as the sole or even primary reason for its current vaccine dilemma, given the contrasting situation in almost all other Caribbean/Caricom countries. In fact, this dilemma may be more accurately attributed to the Government’s wait-and-see approach – hanging its hat solely on the Covax facility, rather than engaging in more proactive vaccine pursuits from other sources.

What’s more perplexing is the Government’s attempt to publicly rake the Indian high commissioner over the proverbial coals for its own lack of vaccine proactivity and more so at the expense of our foreign policy. Since when is it the job of a foreign high commissioner to report developments in his home country to a host government? Isn’t that the job of our representative (high commissioner) to India?

The Government must therefore stop playing smart with foolishness and tell the population whether our high commissioner to India failed in that regard, or whether the information was lost in translation.

Whatever the case, the Government must now accept full responsibility for its diplomatic and consequent vaccine acquisition lethargy, and move swiftly towards acquiring the required vaccines.

A PHILLIP

via e-mail