Trinidad looking to benefit from US vaccine pledge

PORT OF SPAIN (CMC):

The Trinidad and Tobago government Tuesday said it is moving to ensure that the country benefits from the decision of the United States to share an additional 20 million doses of coronavirus (COVID-19) virus within the world in the coming six weeks.

Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister, Dr Amery Browne, responding to an opposition question in the Senate on the issue, told legislators that he has also met with the chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy here, Shante Moore, to discuss the matter soon after President Joe Biden had announced the new initiative.

Biden said Monday that the doses will come from existing production of Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine stocks, marking the first time that US-controlled doses of vaccines authorised for use in the country will be shared overseas. It will boost the global vaccine sharing commitment from the US to 80 million.

“We know America will never be fully safe until the pandemic that’s raging globally is under control,” Biden said at the White House.

The announcement comes on top of the Biden’s administration’s prior commitment to share about 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is not yet authorised for use in the US by the end of June. The AstraZeneca doses will be available to ship once they clear a safety review by the Food and Drug Administration.