Barbados today (April 6) received its first shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX Facility, becoming the sixth Caribbean country to do so since deliveries began in March.

Barbados, accepting its 33,600 opening instalment of doses, is the first of five Caribbean countries to get shipments on Tuesday, ahead of the Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Dominica as well as St Kitts and Nevis.

Prime Minister Mia Mottley, on hand as the highly sought drugs landed safely at the Grantley Adams International Airport in Bridgetown, said in a brief Facebook post that the vaccines arrived around 7:00 am Atlantic Standard Time (AST).

She was also joined by Health and Wellness Minister Jeffery Bostic, Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George as well as high-ranking officials from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Canadian High Commission, European Union, United Nations, among others.

Barbados, which has so far vaccinated 63,738 persons, has received 133,600 doses of the AstraZeneca shot.

The Government of India, through its Vaccine Maitri initiative, donated 100,000 doses to the island in February.