By: Staff Writer
April 27, 2021
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) has no dealing with Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and lays the promotion and distribution at the feet of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).
Avril Isaac, communications officer of CARPHA, told Caribbean Magazine Plus that the agency is not procuring or distributing the vaccines from the COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access) facility but PAHO is on behalf of the Caribbean and Central American region.
As a result it is not up to CARPHA to stop the distribution of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine considering all of the problems that the vaccine has faced over the past several months from being blamed for causing blood-clots to also its lack of efficacy compared to the other COVID-19 vaccines on the market.
Ms Isaac also said: “There has been no notification of a recommendation from PAHO or the World Health Organization (WHO) to cease the use of AstraZeneca. There has been no notice from PAHO/WHO of a change in Astra Zeneca’s efficacy in preventing the serious forms of COVID-19 and death.
Despite the problems with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, Ms Isaacs firmly put: “The need for vaccination is many times greater now that the UK and Brazil variants have been detected in the Caribbean. The risk of clotting issues is much more due to contracting the COVID-19 disease than it is from using AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine. The most available vaccine for the region is AZ. CARPHA is following the WHO recommendation that AZ should continue to be used.”
She added: “CARPHA’s Caribbean Regulatory System issued technical reviews and emergency use recommendations for AZ from SII Covishield and SK Bioscience in March and sent to Chief Medical Officers (CMOs). Clinical recommendations for the use of AZ were issued by the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) of WHO in February and immediately circulated to the CMOs.”
Ms Isaac also said, “The WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety has reviewed the case reports and based on a careful scientific review of the available information, the committee concluded that the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (including Covishield) continues to have a positive benefit-risk profile, with tremendous potential to prevent infections and reduce deaths across the world. The full statement is available at: https://www.who.int/news/item/19-03-2021-statement-of-the-who-global-advisory-committee-on-vaccine-safety-(gacvs)-covid-19-subcommittee-on-safety-signals-related-to-the-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine.
With CARPHA’s endorsement of the AZ vaccine and its variants, Ms Isaacs said that: “Most Member States that made arrangements to purchase and receive vaccines via the COVAX facility and the PAHO Revolving fund, have received a share of the first round of the COVAX allocation according to the country agreements.”
CARPHA also does not have any hand in the procurement of other vaccines available on the international market for the Caribbean like the US Moderna, Pfizer of Johnson and Johnson vaccines as it is up to PAHO with COVAX and individual member states to try their best to get their hands on those vaccines if they could.