SOME 16,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Trinidad on Thursday donated by the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne told the post-Cabinet briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann's.
Later, SVG Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Keisal Peters in a phone conversation told Newsday that after Trinidad and Tobago's help to SVG after the eruption of La Soufriere volcano, SVG had no hesitation about reciprocating to help TT face its own covid19 crisis.
Browne also revealed that within a week's time, Bermuda will send 8,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to TT.
He said the acquisition of vaccines approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) was a still top priority for the Government.
"We have benefited from a generous donation of AstraZeneca by the Government and people of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
"An Air Guard flight using a C26B aircraft departed TT this morning, arrived in SVG, was efficiently loaded with these AstraZeneca vaccines and has just landed at Piarco Airport with vaccines to be immediately received and properly managed by our health authorities."
He said the donation came after significant diplomatic work and communication at the highest levels between the Prime Minister and SVG Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, plus himself and Peters. "These vaccines will expire at the end of June and the Ministry of Health has indicated that they will have sufficient time to ensure they are fully and properly utilised for the benefit of the people of TT."
Browne had more good news, in which Dr Rowley had again been centrally involved in.
"I am pleased to report that Bermuda has also indicated that they are donating 8,000 – it could be a little more but we have confirmed 8,000 – AstraZeneca vaccines.
"We anticipate they will be within our jurisdiction very early next week." He said details of the conveyance of these vaccines were being finalised as he spoke.
"So this is in addition to the diplomatic work that resulted in the provision of 100,000 Sinopharm WHO-approved vaccines which arrived on Wednesday morning, yesterday.
"And preceding all that was 40,000 AstraZeneca (vaccines) donated by the Government of India."
These were the result of diplomatic work, he said.
Browne said TT was now working assiduously to get vaccines from the US.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden promised to donate overseas 20 million doses of vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson) on top of 60 million doses of AstraZeneca already promised.
On Thursday, Browne said, "What I can say at this stage is that the feedback and signals we have been receiving have been extremely positive for Caricom as a whole and for TT in particular."
He was asked about SVG's donation, even as it faces its own volcano crisis.
Browne replied that TT and SVG have historically had an extremely close relationship, enhanced by both governments in the current period.
"You would be aware that this country – our Government and
