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Prime Minister Andrew Holness is once again firing back at criticism of the government’s efforts to procure COVID-19 vaccines.
Holness said today that the government has used several means to procure doses, adding that it is acting in Jamaica’s best interests.
“I have heard what the opposition has said and I have heard what others have said. Much of what is said is not accurate and may be misleading to the public,” said Holness .
Opposition Leader Mark Golding recently launched the attack with a loophole on the government, claiming he had been grossly negligent in purchasing COVID-19 vaccines for Jamaicans.
READ: Golding accuses Holness of ‘gross negligence’ over vaccine purchase
Speaking today, Holness noted that the government has been cautious in its way of speaking about issues surrounding vaccine procurement due to existing bilateral and multilateral considerations.
“The work that goes behind the scenes to get to this point, we don’t make it public, and because we don’t, that leaves a void for speculation. You would have heard things like ‘the rest of the The Caribbean is ahead of us ”and“ they’ve done things we haven’t done. ”You would have seen a statement from CARICOM that explains our position because Jamaica is not the only country waiting for vaccines, ”Holness said.
READ: CRY TO BIDEN VACCINE – CARICOM appeals to US, says rich countries are ‘crowded out’
He noted that there was a lot of “vaccine policy” involved.
“There is a situation now, where bigger countries, richer countries are able to source them. We are at the start of the vaccine production phase and therefore the demand for the vaccine far exceeds the existing offer, “he added.
Today, the Indian High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Ambassador Masakui Rungsung, announced that a vaccine donation is expected to arrive next week.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare had previously said it expects to receive 50,000 doses of vaccine from India.
Rungsung noted that India has pledged to provide 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to countries in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and that Jamaica’s share is ready to ship.
READ: Jamaica to receive COVID-19 vaccines from India next week
Holness expressed gratitude for the donation and said Jamaica was looking forward to its vaccination program.
“We make sure that the vaccines we have are approved by the World Health Organization … we make sure that when the vaccines get here, they can be distributed and administered very quickly so that there is no of delay in storage and confusion over who should get. All of this work is in progress. “
“Your government is acting in your best interests,” said Holness.
Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said on Wednesday vaccine storage facilities had been checked and were ready.
READ: Tufton says vaccine storage facilities ready
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