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UAE delegation on state visit

Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum of the UAE (second from left) being welcomed to Guyana by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd. (CJIA photo)

Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum of the UAE (second from left) being welcomed to Guyana by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd. (CJIA photo)

November 20, 2020

Source

President Irfaan Ali yesterday met with Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and an eight-member delegation who arrived in Guyana on a three-day official state visit.

A release from the Office of the President said that over the next few days, the Sheikh, who is a member of the ruling family in the UAE, and members of his team will meet with several Government officials from various ministries.

In the initial meeting with President Ali, the UAE team also met with members of the cabinet including: Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd; Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat; Minister of Housing and Water and Minister within the ministry, Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues; Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill and other government officials.

*President Irfaan Ali (left) greeting Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum (Office of the President photo)*

The UAE is one of the top oil producing countries globally and is expected to lend assistance to Guyana in oil and gas, among other areas, the release said.

Al Maktoum is the founder of the diversified conglomerate, Africa, Middle East Resource Investment (AMERI Group).

According to the UAE’s Administration Office’s website Sheikh Ahmed Bin Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum’s office “has a portfolio of privately held group companies that focus mainly on Infrastructure Development, Energy Projects, LNG Terminal Development, Commodity & Oil Trading, Water Desalination, Water Recirculation as well as Education and Agricultural Project.”

“We currently own the largest emergency power plant installed in West Africa. The Private Office is undergoing development of over c. 2000 MW of Power Plants across many countries in Africa, Asia and other jurisdiction in the developing regions. We also deliver integrated and unbundled solutions in supplying LNG. With the help of our partnerships, we carry out the business of the complete supply chain of LNG and supplying natural gas,” it adds.

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DjangoAdmin

Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine registered in Guyana

Guyana has become the 33rd country in the world to approve Sputnik V

Source

MOSCOW, February 23. /TASS/. Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine has been registered in Guyana, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a statement.

"Guyana has become the 33rd country in the world to approve Sputnik V. The vaccine was approved under the emergency use authorization procedure. The vaccine is one of the world's top three coronavirus vaccines in terms of the number of approvals issued by government regulators," the statement said.

"Countries of South America continue to demonstrate strong interest in Sputnik V and today we announce the registration of the vaccine in Guyana. Overall it is now approved in 33 countries making an important contribution to the global fight against the pandemic," CEO of RDIF Kirill Dmitriev commented on the news.

Sputnik V had already been approved earlier in Russia, Belarus, Argentina, Bolivia, Serbia, Algeria, Palestine, Venezuela, Paraguay, Turkmenistan, Hungary, UAE, Iran, Republic of Guinea, Tunisia, Armenia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Republika Srpska (entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Mongolia, Bahrain, Montenegro, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Gabon, San-Marino, Ghana and Kyrgyzstan.

UAE awaits delivery of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine

Both doses of vaccine approved for emergency use administered to 995 volunteers in Abu Dhabi

Feb 25, 2021

Source

Kirill Dmitriev, chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, told The National the approval of Sputnik V in the UAE was a crucial moment for its vaccine drive. Reuters

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine is yet to be shipped to the UAE, health authorities said.

UAE authorities on January 21 approved the vaccine for emergency use after the Emirates hosted a small-scale Phase 3 trial of the vaccine – involving almost 1,000 volunteers – produced by Gamaleya National Centre of Epidemiology and Microbiology.“The vaccine is not yet available in the UAE for the general public. Although this vaccine has been approved by DoH for emergency use, the vaccine has not been shipped to UAE yet,” officials at the Department of Health told The National.

Clinical trial data shows a 91.4 per cent efficacy for the Sputnik V vaccine on day 28 after the first dose; and more than 95 per cent 42 days after the first dose.Vaccine trails are under way and volunteers were asked to sign up until January 18.

So far, 1,000 volunteers in Abu Dhabi enrolled for the trials and 995 received both doses. They are currently being monitored.It is the second trial of its kind in the UAE, after more than 30,000 people took part in a study for the Sinopharm vaccine.

The Sputnik vaccine requires two doses with a 20-day gap between the first and the second injection.“Volunteers are being followed up for their safety for a period of six months, starting from the date of their first vaccine dose,” officials at the DoH said.

“The study will be completed by the end of July 2021 once all the 1,000 volunteers have done their safety follow-up visits.“The interim analysis of the Sputnik vaccine is expected to take place in mid-March 2021, when the results of the safety visit on Day 42 for all enrolled volunteers are finalised.”

Russia aims to make a billion doses of the Sputnik vaccine next year and sell it for less than $20 per person on international markets.

It is expected to be available in more than 30 countries in North and South America, the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa by the end of February.Named after the first Soviet space satellite launched in 1957, it works in a similar way as the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

Sputnik V is an adenoviral vector-based vaccine.

A vector is a virus that has been engineered – in this case a harmless, cold-causing adenovirus – to carry the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus gene to cells.That provokes the production of the virus’s crown-like spikes, resembling a natural infection. This theoretically generates a robust immune response.But unlike other vaccines, each of the shots uses a different strain of the virus, to ensure that if immunity develops to the first, the second booster is still effective.

China's Sinopharm vaccine was approved for use for all members of the public in the UAE on December 9.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, a collaboration between US pharmaceuticals company Pfizer and the German biotech company BioNTech, was registered in Dubai two weeks later as part of a phased campaign initially focused on vulnerable groups and key workers.

On February 2, the UAE announced it would offer the AstraZeneca vaccines under the national vaccination programme.

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine was approved last month for emergency use.

The country aims to inoculate 50 per cent of its population by the end of March.On February 7, the government said the vaccine will be limited, for a period of six weeks, to UAE citizens, the elderly, disabled and people with chronic illnesses.More than 5.7 millions doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered so far.

6/20/217:08 AM

DjangoAdmin

Russia has struck deals to supply its vaccine to over 40 countries as poorer nations struggle to access Western shots

March 5 ,2021

Source

Sputnik V

An Argentine nurse reaching for a dose of the Sputnik V vaccine during the first stage of the mass-vaccination campaign in El Palomar, Argentina, on February 18. Marcos Brindicci/Getty Images

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine has been approved in more than 40 countries, its makers said.
Many have little access to shots made by Western firms such as Pfizer and Moderna.
An expert told Insider that Russia stepping in would give it a geopolitical advantage.

Russia's Sputnik V vaccine is gaining ground in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa.

More than 40 countries have reached deals with the makers of the vaccine, many of which have little ability to access the in-demand shots made by Western companies that are powering vaccination drives in the US and Europe.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund, the body that backed the vaccine and handles its marketing, listed the nations in a press release Wednesday

They are:

Europe: Russia, Belarus, Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary, Armenia, Montenegro, San Marino, Moldova.
Asia: Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Syria, Mongolia, Sri Lanka.
Americas: Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Mexico, Nicaragua, Guyana, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Honduras, Guatemala.
Africa and Middle East: Algeria, Angola, the Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Republic of Guinea, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Bahrain, Lebanon, Gabon, Egypt, Ghana.

The vaccine is also approved by the Palestinian Authority and by an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina called the Srpska Republic, the press release said.

This isn't just about public health, of course. There is an advantage for Russia too. The drive to distribute vaccines around the world is a chance to burnish its image abroad and strengthen alliances while most Western nations are laser-focused on their own populations.

The Sputnik dealmaking — pushed on social media and in PR-friendly photo ops — appears part of a trend being dubbed "vaccine diplomacy."

Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the RDIF, told Insider on February 2 that he had little interest in seeing the vaccine used in the US and only a moderate interest in sending it to Europe.

Outside these markets, however, there is a wide field. Beyond the US and Western Europe, there are relatively few doses available from vaccine makers such as AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.

Nations including the US, Canada, and the UK have ordered enough doses to vaccinate their populations several times over, prompting accusations of hoarding. They are also getting their doses sooner.

A mechanism intended to provide access to the poorest countries, the World Health Organization's COVAX program, has been slow to deliver the vaccines. The first ones reached Africa on Monday.

6/20/217:09 AM

DjangoAdmin

President Irfaan Ali speaking with reporters on Friday, at State House

March 27 ,2021

Source

Sputnik vaccines being sourced for US$4M

THE Government of Guyana will be purchasing 200,000 doses of Sputnik vaccines from Russia at an approximate cost of US$20 per dose; this will work out to an overall price of $US4 million, or more than GYD$800 million according to President, Dr. Irfaan Ali.

“It is very expensive, but it is an expense we can’t spare,” Dr. Ali told reporters on Friday, following an activity at State House.The Head-of-State said that “component one” of the Russian-made vaccines are being procured through an arrangement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and that the important purchase will require some adjustments to the country’s 2021 budget.“We are making the resources available to ensure every Guyanese is vaccinated,” President Ali posited, adding that the necessary logistics are being finalised to ensure the safe transportation and arrival of the vaccines.

The President said that the government has already established a supply chain, and a number of private sector stakeholders have been engaged in an effort to ensure adequate storage facilities for the vaccines are available.
“We have to bring all the storage capacity together to get this done,” Dr. Ali acknowledged.
It was only on Wednesday night that the President announced the expansion of the countrywide COVID-19 vaccination programme, which will soon see persons 40 and above being eligible to access vaccines. Currently, the vaccination efforts target frontline healthcare workers and persons who are 60 years and older.
On Friday, Dr. Ali said that the expanded programme is likely to take effect by next Wednesday, following the expected arrival of 24,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines on Monday.

The President also referenced the commencement of a pre-vaccination process, which he said will see the documentation aspect of the programme being jointly handled by members of the Guyana Defence Force’s Medical Brigade and local medical students. These efforts will require persons to become registered before being given an appointment to be inoculated.“The goal here is to have our population fully vaccinated. This is the utmost priority for me,” Dr. Ali posited.He added: “Personally, I am taking this on as a task in ensuring that our population is vaccinated and that, as quickly as possible, we can return our country to some level of normalcy and get out of this pandemic.”The President has laid out an ambitious plan to ensure that at least 10,000 persons are vaccinated daily.This, Dr. Ali acknowledged, could only be achieved if the country is able to acquire even more vaccines.

As a consequence, the Head-of-State said that his government has already approached vaccine producers, Pfizer and Maderna for the purchase of additional supplies; however, neither of the companies would be able to sell Guyana any amount of vaccines for this year.“We were told that this can only be available in 2022,” Dr. Ali said, adding: “The production lines are being stretched right now.”
Notwithstanding the challenges of sourcing the globally-demanded vaccines, the President told reporters that the Governments of Russia and Qatar have already been approached and discussions are ongoing to secure additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The President remains hopeful that the ongoing vaccination programme will cover majority of Guyanese, and see the country quickly achieving herd immunity.
Dr. Ali was quick to warn, however, that vaccination is not the solution that could put an end to the novel coronavirus.“Even with vaccination, we still have to continue wearing the masks and taking the guidelines seriously,” the President emphasised.
He added: “This next four weeks is a very critical four weeks for us in ensuring that we stick to the guidelines while we push ahead with the vaccination. So, the Task Force will be working simultaneously with the vaccination programme to have strong enforcement, but we are sparing no effort and we are sparing no resource in getting the vaccines here.” To date, Guyana has received some 3,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Barbados and an additional 80,000 doses from India. The Government of the People’s Republic of China also assisted with 20,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.
Added to this, the Government of Guyana is also working to secure another 149,000 doses of vaccines through a purchase agreement under a CARICOM-African Union agreement.

6/20/218:02 AM

DjangoAdmin

Guyana purchases 200,000 doses of Sputnik-V vaccine for US$4M

March 27, 2021

GuyanaTimes

– to also get 24000 doses of AstraZeneca from COVAX

As the Government of Guyana continues to explore avenues to access COVID-19 vaccines, President Irfaan Ali on Friday disclosed that the country is buying some 200,000 doses of the Russian manufactured Sputnik V vaccines to the tune of a whopping US$4 million.
“We have been able to secure the purchase of 200,000 of the Component One of the Sputnik V vaccine… and 200,000 of the Component Two… Through the UAE (United Arab Emirates), we’ve been able to secure these 200,000 vaccines. Right now, they’re finalising the logics to bring that 200,000 in…,” the Head of State told reporters on the sidelines of an event at State House on Friday.
President Ali explained that Guyana is paying US$20 per dose for the Russian vaccine, amounting to some US$4 million for this batch of the Component 1 dose alone.
According to the President, Government cannot put a price tag on the health of the citizenry.

“It’s very expensive but it is an expense that we can’t spare. The health of the population is very critical. This will call for some adjustments in the budget and so on, but, as I said we are not sparing any expenses on this. We are working on making the resources available to ensure every single Guyanese are vaccinated,” the Guyanese leader asserted.
In addition to the 200,000 Sputnik doses, Guyana is also expecting its first tranche from the COVAX facility next week.
“We are now told by COVAX that we should get 24,000 AstraZeneca on Monday from the COVAX mechanism,” he revealed.
Initially, Guyana was slated to receive 100,800 vaccines in its first collection from COVAX – a body of organisations including the World Health Organisation (WHO) that was established to ensure there is equal access to and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. However, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony disclosed on Monday that COVAX has significantly reduced that figure to now 24,000 doses for several countries in the region including Guyana.
However, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) has said that the remainder of the initial 100,000-plus vaccines will arrive here in May.
Unlike the massive bill for the Sputnik jabs, the COVAX batch will be given to Guyana free of cost.
With these 224,000 COVID-19 vaccines expecting to arrive in days, they will be used to roll out the expanded vaccination campaign to persons 40 years and over.
President Ali further told reporters on Friday that the Government has already established a supply chain and storage facility in anticipation of the arrival of these vaccines next week. In fact, Government has also engaged the Private Sector to add to its current storage capacity.
“Once the scheduling which we have, that is, the 24,000 and the first set of the 200,000 coming by Monday/Tuesday, we’ll be able to roll out early next week – by Wednesday definitely – the 40 and above in a massive way,” he posited.
To date, Guyana has received a total of 103,000 doses of vaccines as donations from allies. Of these, 3000 doses of AstraZeneca were from Barbados and another 80,000 doses of the same jab were from India. China also donated 20,000 of its locally manufactured Sinopharm vaccines.
The vaccination campaign started with frontline health workers and then extended to persons 60 years and over. Over 25,000 persons in Guyana have been vaccinated to date. However, with Government aiming to vaccinate 10,000 persons daily, additional vaccines will be needed.
As such, President Ali posited that Government is working aggressively to secure more COVID-19 jabs so that the country can achieve herd immunity.
However, he disclosed that apart from the batches coming in next week, Guyana has been told by major manufacturers such as Pfizer and Moderna that it cannot access the jabs until next year.
“We have explored the Pfizer vaccines. We had great discussions with the company directly and then we were told that this could only be available in 2022. Same with the Moderna… The production lines are being stressed globally,” he related.
Earlier this week, the President said they also reached out to the manufacturers of AstraZeneca in India but hit a stumbling block there as well. However, he had indicated that Guyana is looking at another India-manufactured COVID-19 jab – COVAXIN, which was the vaccine taken by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It was reported that Guyana is looking to obtain some 400,000 doses of the COVAXIN, which has an 81 per cent efficacy.
However, during a recent interview with <<<Guyana Times>>>, Indian High Commissioner Dr KJ Srinivasa explained that discussions are ongoing for a tranche of 100,000 doses of this jab.
“We have put the Health Ministry in touch with the producers of COVAXIN, Bharat Biotech… As I understand now, Guyana is actually going through its internal processes of approving the proposal by Bharrat Biotech and once they give the go-ahead, Bharrat Biotech will go through the formalities on the Indian side because they also have to take permission from the various regulators before they export the vaccine,” the Indian diplomat told this newspaper.
In the meanwhile, President Ali on Friday reassured that his Government will spare no expense in ensuring that its citizens are protected against the novel coronavirus. But in the same breath, he implored citizens to continues to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines especially after getting vaccinated.
“A lot of people think that after they’re vaccinated, you can take off the mask and walk around the place. But you can still be infected and you can pass that on… Together we have to get through this. You have my personal commitment and the commitment of the Government in doing what we can do scientifically and medically. But you have individual responsibility too and I’m asking you in the interest of family, your neighbours, your community to exercise your individual responsibility in a disciplined manner,” the Head of State urged.

6/20/218:07 AM

DjangoAdmin

Guyana denies claims of acquiring COVID vaccines from 'shady' sources

June 17 ,2021

Source

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The Guyana government has strongly denied acquiring vaccines to treat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic from anyone facing legal troubles, insisting that its vaccination programme is aimed at saving the lives of all Guyanese.

“At no time did Guyana procure vaccines from any illegal entity or anyone in trouble with legal authorities anywhere. At no time did Guyana access vaccines secretly from anyone,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement on Wednesday night.

Earlier this week, Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon called on President Irfaan Ali to disclose the details regarding the purchase of the Russian made Sputnik V coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines from a member of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ruling family who visited Guyana last year.

“A full explanation of the vaccine racket is demanded of President Irfaan Ali by the Guyanese people,” Harmon said with regards to the one billion dollar (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents) purchase.

“This level of industrial scale corruption by the installed People's Progressive Party (PPP) regime has been disclosed at a time when Guyanese are suffering from a COVID-19 pandemic, the worst flood disaster in our history, high and rising cost of living, low wages and salaries paid to public servants and blatant discrimination by the installed PPP regime in the manner it manages the affairs of the state,” Harmon added.

But in its lengthy statement, the Ministry of Health said the purchase of the vaccines was above board.

“Guyana has not procured vaccines from any illegal source as far as Mr. Harmon's claim that the Government procured vaccines from any international fraudster; this is blatantly false. We are not aware of, have not seen any evidence, and none was presented by the Leader of the Opposition, or any other person or entities, that show Sheik Al Maktoum is an international fraudster or wanted in any country,” the statement said.

Harmon had also alleged that the government was involved in a corrupt transaction that was deliberately put together to defraud the state and benefit a few people.

He is asking the Health Minister, Dr. Frank Anthony, to justify how Guyana has paid more for the vaccines- Sputnik V at US$24 per dose instead of US$10 and Sinopharm at US$16 instead of US$5.

But the Ministry of Health said that even at a higher price, the government did nothing wrong to buy vaccines to protect the population from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was a good investment for our people at the time. It remains a good investment at this time. The Ministry of Health has no apologies in this regard,” the Ministry of Health said in the statement, adding that all of the documentation is there to prove that there was no shady transaction and the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) was involved.

“The Ministry of Health has followed the SOPs for procurement, always obtaining NPTAB approval for procurement. In terms of the single-sourcing of vaccines, there is no availability from different sources that permit open tendering,” the Ministry said.

It said the government wants to vaccinate all Guyanese against the coronavirus by the end of this year, and in this regard opted to buy most of its vaccines because Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson could not have supplied Guyana with the vaccine at the moment.

Guyana says that as of June 15, it has vaccinated 223,659 people or 46 per cent of the adult population with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines. Guyana has also fully vaccinated 92,157 people or 17 per cent of the adult population against COVID-19.

6/20/218:08 AM

DjangoAdmin

Sputnik for sale - VG

https://www.vg.no/spesial/2021/sputnik/index-en.html

June 3,2021

In years following his prison stay, Hansen has had contact with several wealthy Russians.

He is formally emigrated and resides in an exclusive part of London, which has become a capital outside of Russia for wealthy Russians.

In 2010, then 17-year-old Arkadiy Abramovich (son of oligarch Roman Abramovich) attempted to acquire the football club FC Copenhagen.

Per Morten Hansen acted as an intermediary and attended on behalf of Abramovich in the initial conversations, according to Danish newspaper Børsen.

In 2015, another Russian oligarch and Per Morten Hansen planned a trade involving an oil field, according to Nettavisen.

Later the same year, Per Morten Hansen is at the National Theatre in Belgrade, capital of Serbia.

On stage is Steven Seagal. He is there to receive the Karic Brothers Award for his humanitarian work:

“It is really an honour to follow many leaders who have been awarded before me, such as Vladimir Putin and many other extraordinary people”.

The award aims to become “Serbia’s version of the Nobel Prize” and was founded by two super rich brothers.

In September 2019, a letter is sent from Sheik Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum (34) to Steven Seagal. This is the Sheik who would later sell vaccines to Ghana.

The letter has previously been described in the magazine Kapital.

“I refer you to my meeting with Mr. Per Morten Hansen, who I understand is a good friend of yours, and wish to invite you to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as soon as possible”, writes the Sheik.

Al Maktoum is the ruling family in Dubai. Ahmed Dalmook is a relatively peripheral family member, as the ruler’s second cousin..

The size of the young Sheik’s fortune is unclear; while the richest sheiks own private planes, he rents.

At the time the letter was sent, the Sheik and Hansen have made several corresponding share purchases, according to Kapital.

“I wish to discuss sectors for mutual business cooperation and how we can potentially cooperate. I look forward to meeting you in Dubai”, the Sheik writes to Seagal.

The man on Seagal’s left is Umar Farooq Zahoor (45). Farooq Zahoor grew up in Norway, is a Pakistani national, and has for several years been closely associated with the Sheik.When the Sheik sold overpriced gas turbines to Ghana via the company Ameri Group in 2015, Farooq Zahoor and the Sheik both signed the agreement.

At the same time, Farooq Zahoor is wanted in Norway for what the police believe is his role in the spectacular Nordea fraud in 2010, where the conspirators emptied the account of a super-rich widow.

NOK 62 million of the proceeds have never been recovered.

He denies guilt. Norwegian police is unable to get a hold of him because the Emirates refuses to surrender him.This means that he can enjoy the high life in Dubai, with businesses, luxury and parachuting:

“Umar Farooq Zahoor continues to be wanted by Norwegian police”, says Public Prosecutor Carl Graff Hartmann to VG.

Farooq Zahoor has been convicted of misappropriation in Norway.

He absconded from Norway before the judgement was pronounced.

In Switzerland, the limitation period in a criminal case expired because the police was unable to get a hold of him.

There, he was wanted for having started a fake bank.

The Sheik and Umar Farooq Zahoor has for several years travelled round Africa, Asia and South America, met with heads of state and signed agreements – often just memorandums of understanding.

When the Sheik arrives in Ghana to sell vaccines in March of this year, he is once again accompanied by Farooq Zahoor. A photo from the airport shows the Sheik’s delegation. VG has also received confirmation from airport staff that Farooq Zahoor was present.

The Sheik’s previous trade caused a political storm in Ghana. Why did no one react to the fact that the Sheik and Farooq Zahoor had now returned?

Part of the answer may be the fact that very few knew of what was taking place.

On 19 November last year a private plane lands in Guyana, one of South America’s poorest countries.

Out steps Sheik Al-Maktoum, dressed in traditional white garbs. Right behind the Sheik is Umar Farooq Zahoor with a wheeled suitcase and sweatsuit.At a press conference in May this year, at VG’s request, a local journalist asked the Vice President from whom the country had purchased vaccines and what they had paid.

The Russians state that they sell the vaccine for approximately 10 dollars per dose, internationally.

“The first set of Sputnik vaccines cost 20 dollars per dose. We shopped around, in the United States, but were unable to obtain any vaccine, just as in Europe. We tried via Covax, to no avail. Then, a company associated with the Prince of Dubai came here”, says Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo (57).The sellers stated that they had a limited vaccine inventory, according to the Vice President.

“At the time, we would probably have paid whatever it took just to obtain vaccines for our people, because we were unable to obtain them from anyone else”, says Jagdeo.

Initially, Guyana purchased 200,000 doses.

What was the name of the company affiliated with the Sheik that sold the vaccine?

“I do not know the exact name of the company, but I know they supplied Africa and some other countries”, says the Vice President.

6/20/218:32 AM

DjangoAdmin

While I await answers to the questions I raised yesterday about whether Guyana bought more 1st doses than 2nd doses of Sputnik or whether there was the delivery of more than expected 1st doses, the Ministry of Health sent out 2 statements, one on Friday and one earlier today, Saturday.

On Friday, the Advisor to the Minister of Health said "about 61,000" of the fully vaccinated persons were vaccinated with Sputnik. Today, the Minister of Health in a letter to the Opposition which was sent out to the media as a statement, indicated that "more than 59,000" persons have been fully vaccinated with Sputnik.

About and More than....

While "about 61,000" is "more than 59,000", it's been 3 weeks since Guyana ran out of 2nd doses of the Sputnik, so the Ministry ought to be able to provide a definite number of the amount of people fully vaccinated with Sputnik and the number of people who have received a first shot and are waiting on the 2nd shot. Based on the Ministry's own figures of total persons receiving a first dose, it appears that well over 100,000 people are awaiting the 2nd dose.

(Note: The Ministry has said persons administered the 1st dose of Sputnik can get their 2nd dose between 4 weeks and 12 weeks after)

Meanwhile, the Ministry has not indicated how it ended up with more first doses than 2nd doses as i pointed out last evening based on their numbers, and more importantly when the 2nd doses will arrive.

All of the Sputnik vaccines (1st and 2nd doses) have already been paid for, according to the Minister of Health.

6/20/218:50 AM

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Topics

UAE delegation on state visit

Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine registered in Guyana

UAE awaits delivery of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine

Russia has struck deals to supply its vaccine to over 40 countries as poorer nations struggle to access Western shots

Guyana purchases 200,000 doses of Sputnik-V vaccine for US$4M

– to also get 24000 doses of AstraZeneca from COVAX

Guyana denies claims of acquiring COVID vaccines from 'shady' sources

Sputnik for sale - VG

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