CMO: Safeguards in place against fake vaccines

SAFEGUARDS are in place to prevent counterfeit covid19 vaccines entering TT, ensure the security of the bonafide vaccines that are here and others still to come. Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram and Health Ministry Permanent Secretary Aisf Ali gave these assurances during a virtual meeting with members of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) on Wednesday.

The meeting took place one day after the arrival in TT of the first batch of 33,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Covax. Parasram told PAAC members that these doses arrived "in a state of ready-for-use" and their expiry date is May 31.

Parasram said the Health Ministry's Chemistry, Food and Drug Division "is central to the role of ensuring that products, whether it be vaccines or medications, meet a certain standard in terms of importation."

Through collaboration with other other agencies, Parasram said, "We all have our eyes and ears on the ground."

Parasram said there is a process to examine the vaccines to ensure they are legitimate and detect fake ones as early as possible.

"There is an all-of-sector and all-of-government approach that we need to take."

He said, "People need to recognise, for now that the only person, the only people that will be administering the covid19 vaccine is the public sector and we will be doing so through 21 centres." Parasram added, "We have gone through pains to ensure that those centres are up to standard to distribute and to actually keep a track of what vaccines come to us, how they are distributed on a daily, on a moment-to-moment basis."

He stressed," We want to keep our controls as tight as we can. So that if people are offered the vaccine outside of the public sector, a red flag should go up right away."

Parasram reiterated, "The only vaccine for covid19 that is given or will be given in Trinidad, at this point in time, will be through the public sector and those 21 centres."

PAAC chairman Bridgid Annisette-George asked, "Can I add that it's for free?"

Parasram replied, "Certainly. There is no charge."

He added there are mechanisms through the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Caribbean Public Health Agency (Carpha), Covax and the vaccine manufacturers through which suspected fake vaccines can be tested.

Ali said discussions with the private sector about the role they could play in the possible procurement of covid19 vaccines are ongoing. He explained the ministry had asked different private sector entities some questions on the issue and was awaiting feedback from them.

On March 24, in the Senate, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said he is working with Ansa McAl Group CEO Anthony Sabga III and Supermarkets Association president Rajiv Diptee to see whether any additional covid19 vaccines could be sourced by the private sector for the population. At a virtual stockbrokers meeting last Thursday, Ansa McAl Group chairman A Norman Sabga said the group is still trying to procure vaccines.

Ali hinted that a combination of the police, Defence Force and private security would be involved in security arrangements regarding the storage, transport and distribution of the vaccines.

Parasram and Ali said there were no plans at this time for covid19 vaccines to be distributed in sites outside of the public health sector.