Browne: Government in talks with Pfizer, CARPHA on US vaccine donation

Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne. -
Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne. -

MINISTER of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne has said an official date for delivery has not yet been set for the US' covid19 vaccine donation to this country, but government is "in discussions" with the White House, Pfizer, CARPHA (Caribbean Public Health Agency) and the Caricom Secretariat.

In June, the US government listed the countries which will benefit from its global donation of 80 million doses.

It said, “Approximately 14 million for Latin America and the Caribbean to the following: Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti and other Caricom countries, Dominican Republic, Panama, and Costa Rica."

To date, donations have been made/pledged to Brazil, Guatemala, Bolivia, Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay and Paraguay. Costa Rica and Panama will receive donations sometime this week.

This means "other Caricom countries" and the Dominican Republic remain from the list.

Two weeks ago, Browne met virtually with fellow Caricom ministers with his portfolio as well as representatives from the US.

And at a press conference on Saturday, the Prime Minister said the vaccines the US will donate to this country may be Pfizer.

He said, “Based on the documents we have signed with the American offer – one of these documents includes an identification of the supplier. So in the event that we reach the point that we get vaccines from the US, those vaccines are more than likely to be Pfizer vaccines."

But Dr Rowley said since the Pfizer vaccine has WHO approval to be used on children 12 and older, secondary school children will be prioritised using this brand.

Asked for an update on discussions for the US' donation to Caricom, Browne told Newsday, "An official date for delivery has not yet been determined but progress is being made on technical, logistical, and legal matters related to this initiative.

"One of the challenges has been the reality that multiple member states are simultaneously involved, which has made the issue far more complex from a legal and logistical perspective than in other cases when there are agreements and transfers of vaccines to a single sovereign entity."

All countries in the region to receive vaccines from the US thus far either got Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson or Moderna vaccines.

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