St. Vincent Health Minister St. Clair Jimmy Prince says he is not aware of international court cases or new science in relation to the island’s COVID-19 response.
On Thursday, Prince responded to a question from opposition lawmaker St. Clair Leacock, who asked:
“A number of public servants were terminated because they did not take the COVID-19 vaccine. In view of the new science and international court cases, do we owe these persons an apology and appropriate recompense?”
Leacock was referring to AstraZeneca, which has withdrawn its vaccine worldwide, months after the pharmaceutical giant admitted for the first time in court documents that it can cause a rare and dangerous side effect.
Prince responded by stating the following:
“There are a few questionable things in the question itself, along with the issue of termination by the government. The government has never terminated anyone. International court cases and new science. I’m not aware of them. Certainly not in respect of our COVID-19 response.”
“As a health ministry, we receive advice from W.H.O., PAHO, the Caribbean Public Health Agency, and the CDC, the federal disease control agency in the United States, and they have not given us that impression,” I’d like to remind the honourable member”.
AstraZeneca has come under intense scrutiny in recent months over a very rare side effect that causes blood clots and low blood platelet counts. In court documents filed with the U.K. High Court in February, AstraZeneca admitted that the vaccine “can, in very rare cases, cause TTS.”
TTS, which stands for Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome, has been linked to at least 81 deaths in the UK as well as hundreds of serious injuries.
Prince further stated:
“The matter is before the Court of Appeal in our jurisdiction, and the court has heard our submissions just a week ago or so and is yet to make a judgment. And because this matter is subjudice, it will not be proper for me, I think, to say much more about it at this time.”
Leacock asked Prince if he was accepting that AstraZeneca and company were still alive, and Prince responded.
“Yes, I received an AstraZeneca vaccination, and as you can see, I am still very much alive.”
On Friday, an administrative court in Rabat ordered the Moroccan State to compensate a woman who suffered from side effects due to the anti-COVID-19 AstraZeneca jab.
The state has to pay her MAD 250,000 ($24,964), the court said in its ruling.
The plaintiff is a university professor who filed a lawsuit in June 2022 to take issue with the country’s authorities after suffering health complications following her COVID vaccination with AstraZeneca doses.
Previously, AstraZeneca had admitted in court filings that its vaccine could lead to side effects like blood clots and low blood platelet counts. However, the company has now attributed its vaccine withdrawal not to the aforementioned side effects but to an “oversupply of updated vaccines” since the pandemic.
The UK-based pharma company is currently facing legal action alleging that its vaccine has caused deaths and severe harm to a few of those who received it.
If you had an adverse reaction to this vaccine or any other COVID-19 vaccine and would like to share your story, you can reach us at [email protected].
