(Bloomberg) -- Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said rich nations are “hoarding” Covid-19 vaccines, while poorer countries wait months to get doses.
Speaking to Bloomberg QuickTake, Holness said that Jamaica might not receive vaccines until around April.
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Rather than wealthy countries stockpiling the shots, the vaccines should be shared across the world “to reach a certain threshold in vaccination in order for us to defeat the virus,” Holness said.
Jamaica will have access to the drugs through the COVAX Facility, and Holness said he himself will be vaccinated as soon as it's available.
Widespread vaccinations are seen as one of the keys to restarting Jamaica's tourist-dependent economy. The island's tourism income is down about 70% due to the global pandemic, Holness said.
Jamaica has reported 13,411 cases of the coronavirus and 307 deaths due to Covid-19.
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