Bahamas government denied the Bahamian group’s request to bring in vaccines
Leader Philip Brave Davis yesterday accused the government of rejecting an offer from a Bahamian group that wanted to bring in COVID-19 vaccines as early as January.
“You’re still waiting for vaccines. I am aware that Pfizer, the Moderna, and the AstraZeneca [were] offered to you from early January and without having to wait for COVAX. It was offered to you. Mr Speaker, if the race is between vaccinating and the spread, you had an offer to have the vaccine brought in. The entity that offered to bring it in is today offering it to other countries in the Caribbean. This is a Bahamian entity. Other countries are benefiting from their access, but yet our government is rejecting them.” Davis said he sought an explanation from Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis.
Minnis said the government had received many offers from people willing to provide the vaccine.
He said, “Yes, we have had many individuals, and the minister of health will speak to this, who would have proposed, offered propositions in terms of sale of vaccine. However, a lot of them were not necessarily meeting WHO requirements at that time. In addition to that, they must go through this sequence of investigation to ensure we maintain the safety level of the Bahamian populace.”
The government said it secured over 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX Facility. In March, the Indian government donated 20,000 doses of AstraZeneca to The Bahamas, and later in the month, COVAX delivered 33,600 doses of the promised 100,000 doses.
COVID-19 cases have surged in recent weeks, with officials acknowledging that the country is in a third wave.
Over 21,000 Bahamians and residents got their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, officials said.
Already, new COVID cases for April have surpassed the total number of new cases reported in March.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in The Bahamas, more than 9,800 cases have been reported.
Additionally, the numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are also on the rise.
The World Health Organization approved the use of Pfizer in December 2020 and AstraZeneca in February 2021.
Minister of Health Reward Wells said, “If the leader of the opposition knows a reputable circumstance, I will invite him to present it, and we will seek to do our due diligence in that regard.”
But he noted that he gets calls nearly every day from people seeking to bring in vaccines for the government.
“The Ministry of Health is doing its due diligence and looking at these requests.
We also have to be very concerned with expiration dates. We have to be concerned with the source. The Bahamas government has to make sure that what is being offered and what we agree to allow in the country will not adversely affect the Bahamian people. Could you imagine if we approved someone to bring in a vaccine and there is some adverse reaction?” Wells said.
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