CMO: Health Ministry was aware of Pfizer vaccine donation from US

THE Health Ministry was aware that the US’ donation of 80 vials of the Pfizer covid19 vaccine would be entering this country on Saturday.

This from Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram as he spoke at the Health Ministry virtual press conference on Monday morning.

There was confusion on Sunday night when a National Security Ministry press release indicated TT received “a gift of Pfizer vaccines” but did not specify how many.

It was followed by another press release that said it was a “small donation for use by national security.”

Following this, the US embassy in Port of Spain issued a press release saying 80 vials were donated and that “every vaccine counts.”

In total, the vials contain 400 doses of the vaccine.

The donation has been criticised locally and internationally within the past 24 hours.

Typically, the Health Ministry indicates when any covid19 vaccination donation is made to this country.

Asked about this, Parasram said, “The ministry would have been aware of the incoming shipment just prior to its arrival into TT.”

But he urged reporters to ask any further questions to officials of the National Security Ministry.

Despite his pleas, questions were asked about this yet again.

He said the National Security Ministry was in contact with “their counterpart agency in the US and therefore received a gift.

“We were alerted as the Ministry of Health for two things – the importation of vaccines as well as the regulation of vaccines. So customs would have alerted us when it was actually in the airport, our principal pharmacist would have actually gone in physically and took control of the vaccines.”

He said the ministry is awaiting official documentation including an invoice. “It will be considered by the drug advisory committee and then we can say whether it is a vaccine that can be utilised in TT.

“Once those documents come to us, we review it and we see that it’s satisfactory, then the vaccines will be handed over to National Security for their use.”