Prime Minister’s Media Conference – Wednesday 03rd February, 2021

The Government is working assiduously to procure additional COVID-19 vaccines for the population of Trinidad and Tobago.

Prime Minister Dr the Hon. Keith Rowley said the additional sources will complement the initial 100,000 to 120,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine allocation from the COVAX facility that is expected to arrive at the end of February 2021.

Dr Rowley said Trinidad and Tobago through a diplomatic arrangement at CARICOM with the African Medical Council has accepted an offer of 226,000 COVID-19 vaccines from the council.

He noted, “They are offering us 226,000, that’s another 100,000 people and hopefully as we get that and we go forward in the weeks and months, we expect that an improved availability in the marketplace will come.”

The Prime Minister also said a third source is being sought by talking directly to the suppliers of the vaccines.

Dr Rowley stated, “ … over and above any arrangement in the COVAX or with the African Medical Council group, we can talk to AstraZeneca and buy what is available from them at prices that we will negotiate.

In the months ahead we are expecting to get vaccines from three sources and if other supplies come on the market and are approved by the WHO, we will look there and all of this will be taking us up to vaccinating the population to approximately 80 percent.”

Prime Minister Dr the Hon. Keith Rowley made these announcements during a media conference held at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s today (Wednesday 03rd February 2021).