PAHO/WHO Representative to Barbados and Eastern Caribbean Countries, Dr. Yitades Gebre (right), in conversation with Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic.
Barbados is one of the first countries to make a down payment of funds for the procurement of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) Representative to Barbados and Eastern Caribbean Countries, Dr. Yitades Gebre, disclosed this yesterday.
He noted, “PAHO is preparing to procure COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of all PAHO interested Member States, including for Barbados, as part of its technical cooperation and country readiness and preparedness [initiative].”
Dr Gebre was addressing the handover ceremony of a vehicle and medical supplies by the PAHO to the Ministry of Health and Wellness at the PAHO/ WHO’s headquarters.
Speaking in greater detail on the sidelines of the event, Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic said the down payment made was $1.2 million.
“[This] placed us within what is called the COVAX Facility, which is a partnership between PAHO, and utilising the PAHO Revolving Fund [for Access to Vaccines] – which is normally used for immunisations and other things, and also with [Caribbean Public Health Agency] CARPHA involved as well. What that does for us is to guarantee us in the first instance…vaccines for 20 per cent of the population.”
He continued, “So that is between 50 000 and 60 000 people in the first instance. So as soon as the vaccines are available to the Facility then that process will commence. But what you need to understand is that most or all of the information which has been put out on these vaccines really have been put to the media and no information as yet has gone to the centres like [Centres for Disease Control and Prevention] CDC in the United States, WHO and so forth, so that they can validate and check the science and everything. That process has to be done and once we get the vaccines, then we will start to roll out our programmes here in Barbados.”
When asked how will government go about selecting who will be among the first to be administered the vaccine, he said “no definitive response can be given at this time because we are in that process of planning everything in relation to the vaccine.
“A lot of thought has to be given about that, but that is part of the process at the moment and even if that decision or that recommendation was made by health, it still has to go up the chain because this is something that is bigger than health because there are other national security imperatives that have to be considered.”
He added, “The decisions will be made at the highest-level including Cabinet, but we will make the recommendations from a health perspective and when that information can be communicated it will be communicated to the press.”(MG)