PAHO: Haiti authorizes use of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as deaths, infections rise
Haiti has authorized the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine as COVID-19 cases surge following months of delays in getting shots to protect against the virus in the troubled Caribbean nation.
Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, assistant director of World Health Organization’s Americas branch, told journalists Wednesday that the president of Haiti informed them that the country will accept the AstraZeneca vaccine. The government had previously expressed concerns about the shot’s safety following reports of clotting and had banned it from being used, despite being offered free doses.
“Yesterday, we received the confirmation from the minister of health that Haiti is sending a letter to Gavi...confirming that they will receive the 130,000 doses that are available to Haiti,” he said.
Gavi is the vaccine alliance that co-runs the COVAX Facility, a United Nations-backed platform created to get COVID-19 vaccines to middle- and low-income countries. Haiti is among 10 countries in the Americas that qualify to receive free vaccines for 20% of its population, but its government, expressing concern about the AstraZeneca shots, was delayed in fulfilling the necessary steps to allow for its import and distribution.
Haiti’s total allocation under COVAX for its 11.5 million population is 756,000 doses.
The reversal of the Haitian government’s decision comes as the reported number of COVID-19 cases rise there and in several other countries throughout the region, a surge that is leading to panic.
“Three out of the five countries with the highest numbers of new infections are in the Americas,” said Dr. Carissa Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organization. “And many Caribbean islands — like the Bahamas, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago — are seeing COVID deaths double in the last week.”
The country has reported a total of 13,598 confirmed cases and 276 deaths as of May 15, according to the Ministry of Health’s latest report. The numbers, however, are believed to be an undercount, and anecdotally Haitians are reporting an increase in people experiencing fevers. One of the few hospitals treating COVID-19 cases confirmed a spike in hospitalization. Last year, some hospitals shuttered their virus wards because of low demand.
Barbosa confirmed that Haiti is not currently using any COVID-19 vaccines, making it the last country in Latin America and the Caribbean to eventually begin administering shots. While Cuba is working on the creation of its own vaccine and is not part of COVAX, and hasn’t distributed vaccines to the larger population, it is providing shots as part of its initial trial.
Barbosa said that after receiving written confirmation of the approval, his office will start negotiations with the producer to “have this vaccine deployed as soon as possible to the country.”
A Gavi spokesman told the Miami Herald that “we have received confirmation from Haiti that they will accept AstraZeneca doses, and are working on reconfirming logistical and operational details to allow for shipping of available doses.”
Haiti’s vaccines were supposed to be manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, which was ordered by the Indian government to halt exports of AstraZeneca amid India’s alarming surge in cases. For weeks, representatives of the World Health Organization and others have been in talks with the India government, hoping to allow the pharmaceutical giant to fulfill its manufacturing commitment to COVAX.
On Monday, the head of the World Health Organization, recognizing the surge in cases in India and other hot spots, said there is a shortfall in vaccine supplies and COVAX “is dependent on countries and manufacturers honoring their commitments.”
“Once the devastating outbreak in India recedes, we also need the Serum Institute of India to get back on track and catch up on its delivery commitments to COVAX,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
This story was originally published May 19, 2021 at 2:39 PM.
