St Vincent PM giving Russian COVID-19 vaccine ‘prayerful consideration’ 

KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC)— Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves will decide by Friday whether he will take the Russia-developed Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, 20 doses of which have been given to St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

Dr Gonsalves, 76, told Parliament during the budget debate on Thursday that he had been giving the matter “prayerful consideration”, but did not want to appear to have jumped the queue.

Among the persons who are said to have taken the jab are Medical Officer of Health Dr Roger Duncan and fellow physician and infectious disease specialist, Dr Jerrol Thompson, who served as Science and Technology Minister for two terms under Dr Gonsalves’ administration.

Acknowledging that “people may wonder how can anybody in St Vincent take that vaccine”, Dr Gonsalves noted that a public health emergency has been declared in SVG and under the Public Health Act, the chief medical officer can authorize the use of a vaccine “on a voluntary basis”.

“She has sent the letter to the minister and I think the minister has already done the approval,” he said.

“I am pondering, myself, to take it. I will tell you the two sides of the question I am wondering. My first instinct was not to take it because I don’t want it to be said that ’20 vaccines come from Sputnik [and] Ralph gone and put himself in the queue’, even though, given my age, I would be one who would be among persons may be considered should take.”

The Prime Minister said the feedback he had received from journalists with whom he had discussed the matter was that people would only take a vaccine, either Sputnik or any other, if they saw him taking it.