August 11, 2021: Today the United States Government has announced the donation of 305,370 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine out of a total 907,920 to be donated to the people and government of Trinidad and Tobago. The United States is helping lead the world out of this pandemic, building a world that is safer and more secure against the threat of infectious disease.
This donation is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to sharing its vaccines with the world, and President Biden’s promise that America will be the arsenal of vaccines in the global fight against COVID-19.
In June, the President committed to donate at least 80 million vaccines from the U.S. supply to countries throughout the world, as well as working in partnership with COVAX and CARICOM, and he promised to continue to share as we are able. On August 3, President Biden announced we have donated and delivered more than 110 million doses to more than 60 countries. With this milestone, it’s clear that the United States is delivering on our promise of serving as an arsenal of vaccines for the world—and we are only just beginning. The economic and familial ties, shared history, and deeply rooted values bind the United States with its Caribbean neighbors, so we are working together as strong partners to fight this pandemic.
The nearly 908,000 doses the United States has committed to donating to Trinidad and Tobago will constitute 77 percent of all vaccines donated to Trinidad and Tobago since deliveries started in February. The Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine approved for use in children as young as 12 years old.
All of the vaccines that the United States Government donates are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These are the same vaccines that all Americans can receive and are the same doses the United States is sharing globally. Scientific teams and legal and regulatory authorities from both countries and the region have worked together to ensure the prompt delivery of safe and effective vaccines to the region.
Sharing millions of U.S. vaccines with other countries without any strings attached signals a major commitment to the public health efforts of Trinidad and Tobago by the U.S. Government.
“Pfizer-BioNTech’s focus is on helping to end the COVID-19 pandemic for everyone, everywhere, and that requires the hard work and collaboration of many,” said Pfizer’s Latin America President Carlos Murillo. “Due to the generous support of the U.S. Government and the commitment of CARICOM and CARPHA to ensure that their citizens are protected, we will be able to accelerate access to our COVID-19 vaccine for the people of the Caribbean at no cost, expanding our global fight against this deadly disease.”
U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Shante Moore said, “We are proud, in coordination with CARICOM, to deliver these safe and effective vaccines to the people of Trinidad and Tobago. We are donating the Pfizer vaccine not to secure favors, extract concessions, or pursue hidden agendas. We are not imposing conditions the way other countries are doing. We are donating these vaccines absolutely free of charge. We are giving them for a single purpose: to save lives and end the pandemic.”