GENEVA, Switzerland (CMC) — The United Nations’ World Health Organization (WHO) says key workers and other vulnerable people in 145 countries, including the Caribbean, should receive COVID-19 vaccines in the first half of this year under the joint UN-led COVAX initiative for fair access to coronavirus-beating jabs.

On Wednesday, the WHO said that Caribbean countries to benefit from the vaccine distribution are: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

“The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be distributed in the first half of 2021 as part of COVAX,” the UN said.

The aim of Wednesday’s announcement by WHO and partners is “to help governments to prepare their vaccine distribution programmes by providing details about which vaccine they can expect to receive, between now and the end of June”, the UN added.

The United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF — which plays a key role in immunisation campaigns worldwide — welcomed the development, describing COVAX as the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation ever mounted.

“We must get this right,” said executive director Henrietta Fore. “Our country offices will support governments as they move forward with this first wave to ensure that they are ready to receive the vaccines that require ultra-cold chain (storage).

“This includes ensuring that health workers are fully trained in how to store and handle the vaccines,” she added. “Many of these doses will go to health workers in urban areas who are at the highest risk of exposure to COVID-19 infections.”

WHO said some 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which requires ultra-cold chain storage, are to be delivered to 18 countries in the first quarter of the year, out of an agreed total of 40 million.

An additional 336 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab are to be lined up for dispatch to nearly all countries that have signed up to the COVAX scheme, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe – once it has been approved for use by the UN health agency.

WHO said the total number of doses will cover, on average, 3.3 per cent of the population of the countries benefiting from the scheme.

“This will make it possible for governments to protect their most vulnerable citizens — such as front line health care workers,” said WHO, along with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

Ahead of Wednesday’s announcement, UNICEF chief noted that the agency had been getting ready by stockpiling half a billion syringes and working with airlines, governments and other partners to iron out potential supply hiccups.

“This work has already begun,” Fore said, announcing the signing of a deal securing 1.1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines for around 100 countries.

WHO said the agreement with the Serum Institute of India is for the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine and the Novavax vaccine, both of which have yet to receive Emergency Use Listing by the WHO.

Low- and middle-income countries, including those in the Caribbean, will pay about US$3 per dose, Fore said.

“This is great value for COVAX donors and a strong demonstration of one of the fundamental principles of COVAX — that by pooling our resources we can negotiate in bulk for the best possible deals,” she said.