COVID-19 update and press conference – February 10, 2021. (PMO)

A Vaccination Committee has been set up to advise Government about the various vaccines on the market, and which are best suited for Barbados.

Coordinator of the COVID Communications Unit, Elizabeth Thompson, made this disclosure on Wednesday evening during a press conference to outline the roll out of the national vaccination programme.

Ambassador Thompson said the committee will be chaired by Clinical Pharmacologist and Deputy Dean of The University of the West Indies, Dr. Kenneth Connell.

The other members include Director of the Barbados Drug Service, Maryam Hinds; Senior Medical Officer of Health with responsibility for the South of Barbados, Dr. Ingrid Cumberbatch, who has been greatly involved in COVID-19 matters; another representative of the University of the West Indies; and Public Health Specialist and Co-Coordinator of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign, Dr. Elizabeth Ferdinand.

Ambassador Thompson continued: “And that group is going to be examining the various types of vaccines available across the globe and make determinations as to which ones are best for us and when in fact, we should pursue them….

“This committee will determine suitability and other related issues from a medical and logistical perspective, and make recommendations to the Government. There will also be issues relative to pricing considerations, [and] availability to us. Just because a vaccine is in the market, it doesn’t mean that it is best suited to our conditions, or that it is available to us for purchase.”

Ambassador Thompson added that a second committee will be formed to look at persons 18 to 70 years old in Barbados who have chronic non-communicable diseases.

sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb

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