January 31, 2021

First Batch Of Covid Vaccines To Arrive In March As COVAX Facility Allocates 100,000 Doses For T&T

By Newsroom

Trinidad and Tobago has been allocated an initial 100,000 to 120,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine via the COVAX facility, with the first batch expected to arrive in the country by March.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh made the announcement  while delivering remarks at the Trinidad and Tobago Medical Association (TTMA) Virtual Presidential Inauguration and Conferring of Honours Ceremony 2021, which took place on Saturday night.

This initial allocation will provide vaccines for at least 50,000 persons as 50 % of the vaccines will be reserved to ensure that each recipient receives the required 2 doses of the vaccine.

A statement from the Ministry noted that the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine “has proven to be effective and can be stored in the standard vaccine refrigerator, which maintains a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.”

It said the distribution process for this vaccine would therefore align closely to existing vaccine protocols.”

The Ministry notes that the COVAX facility is only one of the strategies currently implemented to source COVID-19 vaccines for Trinidad and Tobago.

Other measures include bilateral discussions with vaccine suppliers  and the CARICOM COVID-19 Vaccine Initiative.

“The Ministry of Health is far advanced in its preparation to receive and distribute the vaccine locally. Necessary consumables for vaccination have already been stockpiled in significant quantities including 1 million alcohol swabs and 1.5 million syringes. At this time, the Ministry of Health has in-country capacity to store substantial quantities of doses of COVID-19 vaccines: over 300,000 at 2 to 8 degrees, 200,000 at -20 degrees and 200,000 at -70 degrees Celsius,” the Ministry noted.

The statement also pointed out that a public/private sector partnership is required to administer vaccines to the national population in the shortest time.

“This will give Trinidad and Tobago the best chance of mass protection from the evolving COVID-19 variants,” it said.

National COVID-19 vaccine deployment will be implemented using two parallel pathways – the first managed directly by the Public Health Sector and the second managed by the Private Sector with oversight by the Ministry of Health.

Additionally, while 23 public health facilities have been identified as future vaccination sites, plans are in place for the creation of 4 mass vaccination sites.

The Minister of Health called upon the TTMA to provide its usual support for this very important national vaccination drive.

Next Sunday, February 7th, the Ministry, in collaboration with the Faculty of Medical Sciences at UWI will host a Symposium on COVID-19 vaccines, which will address vaccine hesitancy and plans for the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine in Trinidad and Tobago.

Invitees will include the Trinidad and Tobago Registered Nurses Association, The Pharmaceutical Society of Trinidad and Tobago, The Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association and the Inter-Religious Organisation of Trinidad and Tobago.

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