By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Darren Henfield said he is optimistic The Bahamas will receive vaccines from the United States, suggesting the country will be among the first to do so.

Last week, the Biden administration removed Defence Production Act priority ratings on Oxford-AstraZeneca, Novavax and Sanofi vaccines, allowing companies to make their own decision as to whom to sell their vaccines.

The US government will share most of its donated COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX, the World Health Organisation-led programme from which The Bahamas has already received tens of thousands of vaccine doses.

According to US reports, the US will allocate 75 percent of its vaccine through COVAX. Of the first 25 million doses, about six million will go to countries in South and Central America, seven million to Asia and five million to Africa. About six million will go to neighbouring countries and US allies, according to CNBC.

Speaking during his contribution to the budget debate yesterday, Mr Henfield said: “We are optimistic that The Bahamas will be a part of the United States’ promise to make vaccinations available in the region and even more specifically this country. We thank Governor Scott, formerly governor, now Senator Rick Scott.

“We thank Senator Marco Rubio and we thank also the Black Caucus in the United States for their persistence that The Bahamas be considered right out of the gate. What those two members recognise is that the economy of South Florida and the economy of The Bahamas are inextricably linked and if we can get our economy moving again, that pushes right into their economy which is depressed like all across the globe.”

Mr Henfield spoke after The Nassau Guardian reported that Bahamas Ambassador to the US Sidney Collie said this country will receive two shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine from the US, the first of which reportedly will arrive by the end of this month.

Like many experts have done, Mr Henfield emphasised vaccines as key to helping The Bahamas recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said: “When Bahamians volunteer to take the vaccine, it will benefit, we believe, the outcome of the country. As we struggle to come through these tough economic environments, we feel that tourists who are wishing to travel to The Bahamas will do so more readily when they know that we have taken all of the necessary steps to keep them safe and protected while they are in our country.

“The essential thing is that Bahamians who wish to see the economy of The Bahamas rebound and become as vibrant as it used to be, as it once will be again, that we should all move toward herd immunity, and we believe that the process of vaccinations will help us to get there. We really believe that. The interest that we see in the travelling community outside of The Bahamas, people interested in coming here in this pent up COVID frustrated environment is very encouraging and the more of us who do our part to help this economy get going again, the better I believe it will be for all of us.”