Jamaica to get 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from UK

Jamaica is this week to get 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from the United Kingdom, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced today.

British High Commissioner to Jamaica Asif Ahmad today tweeted that the vaccines will arrive on Friday.

The donation to Jamaica is part of the UK's effort to deliver nine million COVID-19 vaccines around the world, including to Indonesia and Kenya, to help tackle the pandemic.

Raab stated five million doses are being offered to COVAX, the scheme to ensure equitable, global access to COVID-19 vaccines.

COVAX will urgently distribute them to lower-income countries via an equitable allocation system which prioritises delivering vaccines to people who most need them, he said.

Another four million doses will be shared directly with countries in need.

Indonesia will receive 600,000 doses, 300,000 will be sent to Jamaica and 817,000 are to be transported to Kenya, among other countries.

Raab said that this week's deployment will help meet the urgent need for vaccines from countries around the world, including in Africa, South East Asia and the Caribbean, noting that these regions are experiencing high levels of COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations and deaths.

“The UK is sending nine million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, the first batch of the 100 million doses we've pledged, to get the most vulnerable parts of the world vaccinated as a matter of urgency.

We're doing this to help the most vulnerable, but also because we know we won't be safe until everyone is safe,” said Raab.

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