Prime Minister Andrew Holness is this afternoon accusing the rich countries of the world of hoarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Ministry of Health had announced it intended to begin a nationwide vaccination campaign in April.
The Prime Minister says despite the practice of hoarding the government is still on track.
Ricardo Brooks reports on the Prime Minister’s interview this afternoon on the business news network, Bloomberg.
Prime Minister Holness believes the rich nations of the world are slowing the move to insulate the world’s population from the deadly Covid-19 virus.
Holness argues the imprudent practice of purchasing large stockpiles of the vaccine comes at the expense of poorer countries.
He says this is a false sense of security.
The Prime Minister says despite the delays, Jamaica expects to be among the first set of countries in the developing world to receive the vaccine.
He says he’ll lead by example in taking the vaccine once it becomes available locally.
Some have criticized developed countries of the world for purchasing excess stockpiles of the vaccines from pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna.
Developing countries like Jamaica remain on hold for a roll out of vaccination programmes in their territories.
Commenting on the emerging new strains of the virus, the Prime Minister says any further local restrictions must be based on evidence as health officials better understand the particulars of the new strains.
The Prime Minister was speaking this afternoon on Bloomberg’s Quicktake.
