THE 2,000 does of the Oxford Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccines from India that were given to Trinidad and Tobago by Barbados will be used to vaccinate high-risk healthcare workers.
This was revealed by Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram speaking at the virtual media conference of the Ministry of Health on Monday.
He said the vaccines arrived in T&T late last week were in storage at the C40 Central Stores in Chaguaramas at the required temperatures.
Dr Parasram said, “That is being housed there for now until WHO has given approval for use and then, of course, we can use it thereafter.”
He noted that these vaccines will be given to healthcare workers in the frontline in the fight against the pandemic.
The CMO said, “If we have these 2,000 they would be used for the very high-risk healthcare workers in the first instance.”
He said it will be given to workers who supervised Covid-19 patients at Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility, Caura Hospital, the Arima General Hospital and the Augutus Long hospital.
Barbados received 100,000 doses of the OxfordAstraZeneca vaccine from India and have shared with T&T Guyana and other Eastern Caribbean territories.
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh has announced that T&T expected its first batch of about 120,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from COVAX facility in a few weeks.
