By Sue-Ann Wayow
GOVERNMENT will soon be purchasing an additional 60,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from the COVAX facility at a cost of almost US$400,000.
This was disclosed by Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh on Monday during the Standing Finance Committee meeting in Parliament.
The minister said, “We are also purchasing some Sinopharm vaccines through COVAX roughly 60,000 doses, that I can disclose, that is not subject of a non-disclosure agreement for US$388,095.
The Johnson and Johnson bought from the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP) and the Sinopharm vaccines purchased directly from China have been purchased under non-disclosure agreements, Deyalsingh said.
When asked for the expiration date of the non-disclosure agreements, Deyalsingh responded that it was the subject for “legal cover.”
He also disclosed that over US$300,000 have been spent on the purchase of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine also from the COVAX facility.
He said that exact figure spent by the Government for the AstraZeneca vaccines purchased from the facility was US$300,190.94 for two tranches of roughly 33,800.
The third tranche was paid for by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) utilising monies from a grant by the European Union.
Trinidad and Tobago has also received donations of thousands of vaccines, AstraZeneca from Canada and Pfizer from the US.
