By Prior Beharry
A “small donation” of Pfizer vaccines by the United States will be used for national security personnel in Trinidad and Tobago.
This was revealed in the second of two releases, issued within 81 minutes apart, on Sunday by the National Security Ministry.
The second release noted, “The Ministry of National Security, wishes to advise that it has accepted a small donation of Pfizer vaccines from the Government of the United States of America for use by national security.
“This donation is much appreciated and indicates the continued working relationship between the Ministry of National Security and the Government of the United States of America.”
The releases come in the wake of a document circulating online that purported to give permission to a travelling officer of the US State department to bring into T&T 80 vials of the Pfizer vaccines.
The letter made mention to:
- 80 vials of Pfizer Covid Vaccine;
- 400, 1 ml syringes; and
- 1100 vials vaccine diluent.
Medical sources in T&T told AZPNews.com that these vials usually held six doses each. So this means it should have a total of 480 shots and with the recommended two doses, this number could vaccinate 240 people.
At a presser on Saturday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said he has heard a lot of chatter about the donation of Covid-19 vaccines from the US to Caribbean and Latin America, but he did not have any confirmation when these vaccines will arrive.
Activist, blogger and head of the Citizens Union of Trinidad and Tobago Phillip Edward Alexander on Sunday also raised the issue of the Pfizer vaccines coming into the country.
Subsequent to the releases he asked a number of questions on Facebook:
- Why wasn’t Customs aware of such a shipment coming as they were for all others?
- Why weren’t the normal media hype made when this ‘gift’ touched down?
- Why were there no documents to ‘clear’ the shipment?
- Why no release from the Americans that this was coming?
- Why the need for such a clumsy media release if that is all it was?
- Why are the people of this country told repeatedly that high grade vaccines aren’t available and we have to settle for low grade AZ and Sinopharm, but this gift finds it way here surreptitiously?
- In yesterday’s three hour long press conference about vaccines, why was no mention of this coming gift made, but we heard about every other version, gift, promise, loan, shipment and excuse?
- Why does nothing about this make any sense?
Both Dr Rowley and Health Minister apologised last week for the failure to properly administer to Sinopharm vaccines to the elderly population.
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