St Kitts and Nevis receives 20,000 Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine doses from India

Twin island nation of St Kitts and Nevis has received 20,000 doses of Oxford-Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine from India on Monday morning.

The vaccines arrived in a chartered plane from the Indian financial capital Mumbai.

The doses were manufactured at the Indian Serum Institute, the largest vaccine manufacturer globally, which produces over 15 billion doses of different vaccines every year.

Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis commended India for the leadership and for the global role they are playing in helping to rid the world of this virus.

He stated, "I would like to thank the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi for the compassion he is showing other nations during this time. His generous heart and enduring sense of caring and solidarity are important values which we both share."

PM Harris stated that called on the G7 countries of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, as well as the EU to make vaccines available to those nations in need in a timely manner.

Premier of Nevis, Mark Brantley, called the arrival of Indian vaccine a significant diplomatic win for St Kitts and Nevis.

Brantley shared his gratitude for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for facilitating the vaccine for the smallest country in the western hemisphere.

He wrote on Facebook," A major diplomatic win for #StKitts #Nevis as our dear friend India delivers some 20,000 doses of Oxford-Astra Zeneca Covid vaccine to save lives in St Kitts and Nevis. We say thanks to Prime Minister Modi and the government and people of India for this humanitarian gesture #DiplomacyMatters." Earlier on Monday morning, Antigua and Barbuda received their share of the vaccine. A total of 175,000 Oxford-Astrazeneca COVISHIELD vaccine departed from India on Saturday for 4 OECS countries and Suriname.

The remaining vaccines are expected to reach their destinations later today.

These vaccinations would assist St Kitts and Nevis in immunizing its front-line workers, health workers, and vulnerable people. The 20,000 vaccine doses are sufficient to inoculate 10,000 people as the jabs are taken in two doses.

Chairman of OECS and Prime Minister of Dominica Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit sought assistance from India to help the countries fight coronavirus pandemic.

The Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine has very minimal side-effects that include a minor fever or little shoulder pain. Globally, 250 million people have safeguarded themselves against the COVID-19 by taking the Oxford Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Statistics show that no person has fallen critically ill or has been hospitalized after taking the covishield vaccine.

India is assisting all developing nations by donating the vaccine. Dominica and Barbados were among the first to receive the aid from India in the Caribbean, which they further shared with St Lucia, Guyana, St Kitts, and Nevis.