PORT OF SPAIN: 19TH AUGUST 2021
The Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs is pleased to inform the national community of the scheduled arrival of 108,000 WHO-approved Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, from the African Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP), at the Piarco International Airport at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday 19th August 2021. This shipment of vaccines is the first tranche out of an order of 800,000 made by Trinidad and Tobago through the AMSP, with further tranches to follow as additional supplies become available.
The delivery of these Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccines to Trinidad and Tobago at this time is the result of intensive dialogue and diplomacy, led by Dr. the Honourable Keith Rowley during his Chairmanship of CARICOM with His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa; His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana; and His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya. These discussions, with follow-up by the CARICOM Secretariat, led to the inclusion of Trinidad and Tobago and several other CARICOM Member States on the AMSP, through which Trinidad and Tobago and the region are accessing a significant supply of COVID-19 vaccines that would otherwise not be available to us on the open market.
The Government of Trinidad and Tobago continues the acquisition of WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines for the population, and the Ministry of Health will be utilizing these vaccines within its national vaccine rollout.
