BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE first doses of the COVID-19 vaccines could be administered before the end of the month as the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has confirmed that St. Kitts and Nevis, along with other member states of COVAX, would be receiving doses in two weeks’ time.
That would be welcomed news for many territories as case numbers continue to rise across the region due to an influx of tourists to this part of the world, because of the low number of positive cases when compared with the developed nations.
In a media statement, PAHO disclosed that COVAX has notified countries in the Americas of the estimated dose allocation for the first phase of vaccine delivery in a letter to health authorities on Sunday (Jan. 31).
Approximately 36 of the countries and territories participating in COVAX received letters about the estimated number of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is expected to be approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO), that they could be receiving from the second half of February through the second quarter of 2021.
Though the vaccine has not yet been approved by the WHO, PAHO noted that it is still under review by WHO for emergency use approval (EUL), which is expected to occur in the next few days.
“The number of doses and delivery schedule are still subject to EUL and manufacturing production capacity, as well as establishing supply agreements between the producers, PAHO, and UNICEF,” the statement said.
Under the first phase of the distribution, COVAX disclosed that an estimated 35.3 million doses would be arriving in the Americas.
Countries from the Americas participating in COVAX that received letters are Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Granada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucía, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
According to PAHO, “The goal is to provide vaccines for at least 20% of the population in each country participating in COVAX to protect those most at risk for severe forms of COVID-19. In Latin America and the Caribbean, 37 countries will receive vaccines through COVAX. Of these, 27 will do so with their own financing and 10 will do so at no cost due to their economic condition or population size”.
