US donates 80 vials of Pfizer vaccine to Trinidad and Tobago; mocked for 'bragging' online

The US Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago attracted online mockery after announcing that it has donated 80 vials of COVID-19 vaccine to the island nation with a 1.4 million population. In a tweet posted on Sunday, the US embassy announced the donation, saying that "every vaccine counts."

"The government of the United States of America has made a donation of COVID-19 vaccines to the government of Trinidad and Tobago. The donation includes 80 vials of Pfizer vaccines. The United States is committed to assisting the Government of Trinidad and Tobago with its vaccination efforts. We believe that every vaccine counts," the statement read.

A single vial of Pfizer vaccine produces five doses and is administered in two jabs 21 days apart. This means America’s gift of vaccines is likely to yield some 400 shots and could inoculate 200 people.

With a population of around 1.4 million, Trinidad & Tobago has been relying on foreign donations to fuel its immunization program. Under the World Health Organization’s COVAX vaccine-sharing program, 100,800 doses were allocated to the country, of which two shipments carrying 33,600 doses have been delivered so far.

US Embassy mocked online

The tweet has been widely shared on social media, with netizens expressing surprise at the size of the gift to the country’s population of 1.4 million. Many mocked the gift by sharing memes about the donation.

On June 10, the United States said it will donate 500 million Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to the 100 lowest income countries via COVAX and will seek no favours in exchange for the doses. The US will pay Pfizer about $3.5 billion for the doses and the contract will be finalized in the coming weeks, the official said. America is expected to deliver 200 million doses this year, starting in August, and 300 million in the first half of next year.