As you heard, Prime Minister Skerrit said that the focus right now is on getting the pandemic under control in all the CARICOM Nations. But, according to the current Chair, the small Nations are being squeezed out of access to the approved COVID vaccines. Here's how he explained that an hour ago to the regional press:
Dr. Hon. Keith Rowley - Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago
"That was our first primary engagement at this conference. Yes we took decisions to firstly issuing a strong statement that will come out later, we're issuing a statement on our concern and dissatisfaction the way we had been literally squeezed out of access to vaccines, we know that there is a world shortage of vaccines but what has been put in place to allow countries like us to have access to the vaccines have not been working along those lines and the end result is that at this time, we've only had fortunately one gift of 170,000 vaccine within our region and up to now, we have not been able to access any other even though we now anticipate with great expectation that in the next few days, we will hear when we will get our first covax but we must understand that the covax initial tranches are but a small part of our needs and in attempting to find access ways to either receive donations or to purchase from manufactures, the only thing that has happened along those lines is that we've got some commitments from India to add more to the 170,000 doses but so far, we have not been able to access vaccines in the way we anticipated. Suppliers, the large suppliers in the major countries have bought up all the supplies and the suppliers are telling us that they are unable to access orders from us because of their commitment to those who have access to vaccines, so we will see a strong statement from CARICOM on this and you will see a repeat of the call to the WHO in the face of this development which WHO is aware of and I dare say the UN that we need some international response to the complaints of CARICOM and similar nations."
One member of the media asked the interim chair to provide a few more details about the commercial elements of the struggle to get the vaccine into the Caribbean, and here's his explanation:
Dr. Hon. Keith Rowley
"What is happening is that once the vaccines became approved, they then became in demand and in short supply because there isn't enough vaccine to go around to everybody who needs it and the vaccine is being made a slow rate. Countries with deep pockets and great influence have contracted the early production of this vaccine and similar ones in some of the bigger countries so the vaccine that is made in India is transported out of India to other countries who are paid or contracted for it at this time. Si what we have been experiencing as small countries with small pockets, when we make contact with those companies like the one that is doing it in India, you are being told as we're being told, we are unable to take on order from you. However, there are other companies who have got approvals, but they too are contracted by the countries that had the influence to pay and to contract the original supplies. What some of those countries have been saying to us, okay we can give you a small amount, we can sell you a small amount but only if you're order is a certain size and one of the conditions under which they attempt to sell us, is that it has to be in a confidential arrangement, meaning that we are not going to expose what we've been charged for it. What we've discovered in that arrangement is that different people can be charged hugely different prices and required by contract to keep those prices confidential and that is the environment in which the vaccine access and purchase is now and this is what we are facing now."
