Friday September 3, 2021, Roberto Álvarez, the Minister of Foreign Affairs announced that the Dominican Government will donate 505,000 doses of vaccine against Covid-19 including : 100,000 doses in Haiti, 101,000 in Honduras and 304,000 in Guatemala after receiving donation requests from these 3 countries. The vaccine that will be given is the "Vaxzevria" from the Anglo-Swedish laboratory Astrazeneca better known under the popular name of Astrazeneca vaccine.

"The national authorities have ordered the immediate start of an international cooperation program to help, as far as we can, these brother countries affected by the unjust and unequal international distribution of vaccines."

Roberto Álvarez, specifies that the ability to overcome the pandemic within a reasonable time depends on the solidarity distribution of vaccines against the virus "because it is very likely that the inequality in access to vaccines could generate new waves of contagion in the nations lagging behind in their immunization plans."

This vaccine, which can be stored in the refrigerator, between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, comes in an injectable suspension packaged in a 10-dose vial. After the first dose is withdrawn, the shelf life is 48 hours if the vial is returned to the refrigerator, or 6 hours if the vial is stored at room temperature (up to 30°C).

The unopened 10-dose vial can be kept for 6 months in the refrigerator between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius.

However, one can wonder if these 100,000 additional vaccines, once handed over to the Haitian health authorities, will not expire in 6 months before they have even been used.

Recall that Haiti, thanks to the COVAX mechanism, received on July 15, 2021 a donation of 500,000 "Spikevax" vaccines (official name since June 21, 2021) from the MODERNA Laboratory https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34237-haiti-covid-500-000-vaccines-in-haiti-75-of-haitians-do-not-want-to-be-vaccinated.html which will expire at the end of November 2021.

However, from July 16, 2021 to August 31 (in 46 days), Haiti has only succeeded in injecting 34,500 doses of vaccine and it is unlikely that in the 90 days remaining before the expiry date, the authorities will manage to inject the vaccines. some 460,000 remaining doses before they expire, considering that 76% of Haitians refuse to be vaccinated https://www.haitilibre.com/fben.php?id=34237

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34237-haiti-covid-500-000-vaccines-in-haiti-75-of-haitians-do-not-want-to-be-vaccinated.html

HL/ HaitiLibre