Haiti still awaiting first COVID vaccines, as cases surge
July 5th, 2021
https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2021/7/5/haiti-still-awaiting-first-covid-vaccines-as-cases-surge
excerpt:
As of 5 July, Haiti has reported 18,952 cases and 451 deaths.
Haiti is still waiting for 130,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that were supposed to be delivered 14 June, part of the same COVAX programme that offered the country 756,000 doses in May.
The Haitian government refused that initial shipment, citing concerns over adverse side effects like blood clotting associated with the AstraZeneca brand. The government’s infrastructure to properly store the vaccine was also inadequate, although UNICEF told The New Humanitarian that 80 percent of Haiti’s temperature-controlled supply chain storage had been upgraded in the last few years.
According to the World Health Organization, Haiti is one of a handful of countries that have not begun vaccination programmes.
Haiti is among the low- and lower middle-income countries targeted by a donation of 55 million Pfizer doses from US President Joe Biden’s administration, but it’s unclear when Haiti will receive its first delivery.