PM Roosevelt Skerrit has contacted the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, for assistance in donating the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines to Dominica. In a letter specifically addressed to Modi, Skerrit said Dominica is a developing island country that requires the vaccines to keep her 72,100 people safe from the coronavirus pandemic.
“As we enter 2021 and persevere in our fight against Covid-19, Dominica’s population of 72,100 is in urgent need of enough doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine,” Skerrit wrote. “I, therefore, request, with great humility and respect, that you assist us by donating the doses we need to make our population safe (optimally 70,000 first and second doses).”
Although the government of India is yet to respond to the letter, Dominica is one of 92 countries reaching out to India for COVID-19 vaccines. Skerrit made mention of the fact that Dominica is not in a position to compete with stronger and wealthier countries in the hustle for the vaccines, and that the Nature Isle does not even have the financial muscle to purchase the vaccines.
To drive home his point, Skerrit reminded Modi that India provided $100,000 to the government of Dominica when the island country suffered Hurricane Maria and another $1 million for the restoration of damaged infrastructure across the country. This is not to mention the fact that India also provided Dominica with drugs in 2016 when the country really needed it to strenghten the populace.
Meanwhile, Barbados is also asking India for help in obtaining COVID-19 vaccines. The prime minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, told Modi that Barbados has a population of 287,000 people and would be requesting for a donation of 200,000 vaccines to immunize its people. Mottley went ahead to clarify that her country would appreciate a donation of 100,000 doses and another 100,000 doses which will be paid for.
But in a swift reaction, Chinese President Xi Jinping has assured Skerrit that China will be willing to provide Dominica with the needed coronavirus vaccines as a mark of friendship between the two countries. Jinping said China remains committed to the development of Dominica since the two countries signed a bilateral agreement 17 years ago. He said China will support Dominica in the area of infrastructure development, healthcare, education, agriculture, and peaceful coexistence among others things.
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