The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE director of the Pan-American Health Organisation said the group expects that the world will continue to face a shortage of vaccines for much of 2021.

Dr Carissa F Etienne and other PAHO officials spoke of the COVID-19 vaccine situation yesterday during a virtual press briefing. The director said some countries have already made the necessary preparations and PAHO is placing orders and readying several COVAX, a coalition led by the World Health Organisation and Gavi (Vaccine Alliance), deliveries in the region with “shipments likely to arrive mid-March”.

“Last Friday, COVAX informed all participating countries of the Americas about the number of doses allocated to each COVAX participant from now to May 2021.”

“A total of 28.7 million doses will be delivered to countries in the Americas in this period.

“Some countries have already made the necessary preparations and PAHO is placing orders and readying several COVAX deliveries in our region with shipments likely to arrive mid-March, but a few countries still need approve the COVAX contracts to ensure that they have the proper regulations in place and to make their payments.”

She said the available doses for the short-term will likely be limited.

“As more doses are produced, we’ll see several waves of shipments arriving in the region every month. In the short-term, doses will remain limited and we must use them wisely prioritising those most at risk….

“Manufacturers are working around the clock to produce more doses and new vaccine candidates are being reviewed and included in the WHO emergency use listing so that vaccines will hopefully be available soon, but we expect that the world will continue to face a shortage of vaccines for much of 2021. There are simply not enough vaccines to go around right now and the limited amounts that are available are not being distributed equitably.”

The PAHO director explained that without effective control measures in just a couple of weeks infections and hospitalisation rates can “spike drastically”.

“We must continue to mentor infection rates closely and to rely on proven health measures when the virus surges. This will be our reality for many months until we have enough vaccines for everyone and until we have controlled the transmission.”

Dr Etienne argued: “As long as COVID-19 endures in one part of the world the rest of the world can never be safe and as long as we allow the virus to spread the greater the risks that more dangerous variants emerge which could complicate control efforts and so that’s why it’s vital to accelerate access to vaccine doses – not just the ones with the most money.”

The first doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine were expected to arrive in the country late last week, but they did not show up. Health Minister Renward Mr Wells previously informed reporters that administration of the jabs could begin “as early” this week.

Asked about the delay, Mr Wells said on Monday: “We will update the public sometime this week, later on this week. There is no disappointment. The fact of the matter is I am so happy that y’all are concerned and elated and making sure that you keep the Bahamian people informed because when it does come, we do want all of the Bahamians (to take it).”