When will 60 million jabs of vaccine from US will reach T&T: MP Seecharan demands to inquire

Trinidad and Tobago: Opposition(UNC) Member of Parliament Dr Rishad Seecharan has demanded from the Administration to investigate the United States for COVID-19 vaccines, remarking that some 60 million jabs are anticipated to be exported in Trinidad and Tobago.

Seecharan said the Biden administration declared that the US would begin sharing its entire pipeline of vaccines from Oxford-AstraZeneca; however, once the vaccine clears, Federal safety reviews.

‘The Rowley regime should not hesitate, as it did when India initiated its vaccine supplies to the world in January 2021. We were the last of the CARICOM countries to write to the Prime Minister of India asking for help with our COVID-19 recovery,’ Seecharan declared in a media release yesterday.

Seecharan emphasised the great need for vaccines in Trinidad and Tobago, given the arrival of the Brazilian Variant (P1) in the T& T population and the Ministry of Health’s inability to trace the origin of its entry.

He noted the P1 Variant is highly transmissible and poses a clear and present danger to citizens and the economic recovery of the twin-island state.

The MP stated that the AstraZeneca vaccine is widely used around the world but not yet authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration.

He pointed out that about 60 million more doses are in various stages of production and could be available to ship in May 2021 and June 2021, pending FDA sign-off.

Seecharan added that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had been proven to be effective against the original strain of the Coronavirus and the British Variant and the Brazilian Variant.

‘Given our uncertain future with COVAX and no confirmations from the African Medical Supplies Platform, we would strongly advise that direct communication be made to the Biden Administration requesting vaccines to aid us in our pandemic recovery,’ he stated.

Seecharan stated that proactive measures are required for citizens to be released from this ‘pandemic-induced lockdown’ and to ensure T&T is placed on a path of an Inclusive Recovery.

He stated the capacity of the Government to procure and deliver vaccines is the first step in achieving this goal, and every facility should be explored during these uncertain times.