The United States Government is preparing to donate its second tranche of Pfizer coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine doses to Barbados early next month.
The White House notified CARICOM earlier this week that approximately 550 000 vaccine doses would be ready to ship in November to CARICOM countries and, of those, Barbados is scheduled to receive its second shipment of 70 200 vaccine doses. The first donation by the US Government arrived on August 13.
“We were encouraged by the positive response in Barbados to the availability of the cutting-edge Pfizer vaccine,” said US Ambassador Linda Taglialatela.
“This announcement of the upcoming second tranche of donated doses reflects the continued commitment by the United States to increase vaccine supply and access to the Caribbean completely free of charge and with no strings attached,” Taglialatela said in a statement issued by the US Embassy.
“All the vaccines that the US Government donates are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine approved for use in children as young as 12 years old, and is undergoing an approval process for use in children as young as five.
“These are the same vaccines that all Americans can receive and are the same doses the United States is sharing globally. Scientific teams and legal and regulatory authorities from the United States and the region have worked together to ensure the delivery of safe and effective vaccines,” the statement said.
US Vice President Kamala Harris met with Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley on October 13 in Washington, DC.
Harris underscored the importance of the US-Barbados bilateral relationship, and the two leaders discussed the need to create economic opportunity in the region, including through efforts to accelerate COVID-19 recovery. (PR)
