FOREIGN Affairs Minister Darren Henfield. Photo: Donavan McIntosh
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
FOREIGN Affairs Minister Darren Henfield said he is optimistic The Bahamas will receive vaccines from the United States, suggesting the country will be among the first to do so.
Last week, the Biden administration removed Defence Production Act priority ratings on Oxford-AstraZeneca, Novavax and Sanofi vaccines, allowing companies to make their own decision as to whom to sell their vaccines.
The US government will share most of its donated COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX, the World Health Organisation-led programme from which The Bahamas has already received tens of thousands of vaccine doses.
According to US reports, the US will allocate 75 percent of its vaccine through COVAX. Of the first 25 million doses, about six million will go to countries in South and Central America, seven million to Asia and five million to Africa. About six million will go to neighbouring countries and US allies, according to CNBC.
Speaking during his contribution to the budget debate yesterday, Mr Henfield said: “We are optimistic that The Bahamas will be a part of the United States’ promise to make vaccinations available in the region and even more specifically this country. We thank Governor Scott, formerly governor, now Senator Rick Scott.
“We thank Senator Marco Rubio and we thank also the Black Caucus in the United States for their persistence that The Bahamas be considered right out of the gate. What those two members recognise is that the economy of South Florida and the economy of The Bahamas are inextricably linked and if we can get our economy moving again, that pushes right into their economy which is depressed like all across the globe.”
Mr Henfield spoke after The Nassau Guardian reported that Bahamas Ambassador to the US Sidney Collie said this country will receive two shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine from the US, the first of which reportedly will arrive by the end of this month.
Like many experts have done, Mr Henfield emphasised vaccines as key to helping The Bahamas recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said: “When Bahamians volunteer to take the vaccine, it will benefit, we believe, the outcome of the country. As we struggle to come through these tough economic environments, we feel that tourists who are wishing to travel to The Bahamas will do so more readily when they know that we have taken all of the necessary steps to keep them safe and protected while they are in our country.
“The essential thing is that Bahamians who wish to see the economy of The Bahamas rebound and become as vibrant as it used to be, as it once will be again, that we should all move toward herd immunity, and we believe that the process of vaccinations will help us to get there. We really believe that. The interest that we see in the travelling community outside of The Bahamas, people interested in coming here in this pent up COVID frustrated environment is very encouraging and the more of us who do our part to help this economy get going again, the better I believe it will be for all of us.”
Comments
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
The CDC has lowered our Covid travel to level three from four. However our economy is more impacted by no street, social and business life after 10pm. Cruise ships are very weary as are we of the obese with diabetes and HBP among our family members and patrons vaccinated or not. They tend to develop breathing difficulties with the slightest of flu.
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
The international economic reward for vaccination of population has not worked well for Seychelles as though vaccinated they became ill. Then there is Malta, though reaching herd vaccination was not given the travel greenlight. G7 is even attempting to scare and threaten us on our tax policy. Covid is a mixture of politics, health, economy and uncertainty. 99.9% of Covid cases remain healthy. 00.0005% die. Non FDA approved emergency use only Vaccinations can cause death or unknown health injury for years to come as your DNA is instructed to create spike proteins. We will know within ten years if spikes grow elsewhere. 🤣🙏
https://www.rt.com/news/525964-malta-ac…
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 5 months ago
Man please stop ya nanny. Aint nobody dying from these vaccines.. stop the bs...
ConchFretter 3 years, 5 months ago
98% who had COVID recover (not taking into account long term health effects). 2% who contract COVID die, worldwide
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavir…
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/…
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
Vaccine deaths is reality sorry to say.
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
These Minnis Covid fear mongering loyalists should be giving him more positive advise. Doom and gloom that without vaccines there is no way forward had it been real WHO would have green lighted Sputnik V from vaccine from December 2020 and saved millions of lives through covax. We are playing Vax politics, and saving lives and economy is a lie.
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
So much about the vaccines are unknown and government is cherry picking information that stinks their Vax roll-out. They are holding out on truths that could potentially save lives from this forced guinnypigs vaccine. The FDA needs at least ten years to declare gene altering vaccines safe for humans so the loophole is for emergency use only. It is illegal to do live human mass experiamtation. Without experiamtal vaccine would Covid have wiped humans from the face of the Earth with a death rate of 00.0005 of immuno compromised or elderly persons? 99.99% of those Covid cases recovered or showed no symptoms. I had all the symptoms in early February 2020 along with thousands of Bahamians. During that time Nassau got sold out of Halls.
TalRussell 3 years, 5 months ago
Is not Comrade Darren Henfield, thee absolute best at being the worst possible of all 2017's thirty-five contesting reds to have emerged as the House-elected, yes?
ohdrap4 3 years, 5 months ago
Is it me or his eyes are wide open just like kwasi's?
I scared.
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
They are frightening the sheep with wide eyes theatrics. Britain delaying their complete opening up because of non scientific fear of new viruses. So expect the same here. New invented emergency cases with children in the mix. They are probably practicing tears mourning over some poor deceased child to convince sheep parents to make money for big pharma with kickbacks. Chicken Little will scream that the sky is falling, the sky is falling to frighten us into further Hitler bait.
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