2nd tranche of Covax vaccines to arrive Monday

TT will receive its second batch of AstraZeneca covid19 vaccines through Covax on May 10. This means for many people who have received the vaccine thus far, a second dose is assured.

In a press release on Thursday afternoon, the Health Ministry said this country will receive 33,600 doses of the vaccine "during the week ending Friday May 14." But according to the Covax online tracker, it is set to be delivered to the Piarco International Airport at 5.35 pm on May 10.

TT received its first batch of 33,600 doses on March 30 and had previously got 2,000 doses from Barbados and 40,000 from India.

Owing to the recent upsurge in cases, the Prime Minister had instructed health officials to administer what should have been some people's second dose, as the first dose to those who had not yet received the jab.

At that point, he said the decision was made since the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) had confirmed TT would receive the second tranche "sometime in May."

The release said, "This second delivery of vaccines from the Covax facility and the remaining doses of vaccines donated by the Government of India will now be held to guarantee the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine for those who received the first dose."

As of 4 pm on Thursday, 57,744 people had been vaccinated.

It added, "Due to this recent positive development, the ministry will be winding down this stage of vaccine administration for first doses. Subsequent deliveries of the covid19 vaccine will be used to vaccinate other eligible members of the population."

The Bahamas, Belize and Suriname will also receive their second tranche of the vaccines next week.

A total of 33,600 doses will arrive in Belize and the Bahamas next Tuesday, following the delivery of 28,800 doses to Suriname on Monday.

Suriname got its first batch – 24,000 doses – on March 26, Belize got 33,600 on March 31 and the Bahamas got its first delivery of 33,600 on March 30.

The only country in the region to receive two batches thus far is Jamaica, which got 14,400 doses on March 15 and 55,200 on April 26.

To date, Covax has delivered 11,480,510 doses of the vaccine throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.