 A key component in the national response to the pandemic is the rollout of a strategic vaccination program. On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, the Ministry of Health will begin that program with frontline workers and the most vulnerable. 3,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine arrived on Island last week, a contribution from the governments of Barbados and Omnica. Recognizing the urgent need to commence COVID-19 vaccination campaigns in the Eastern Caribbean, leaders continue to stand in solidarity during the pandemic by sharing the first vaccine doses that arrive in the region. More in this report. While awaiting an order of vaccines from the Indian government, St. Lucia thankfully accepted 3,000 doses from neighboring islands that received theirs first. The Commonwealth of Dominica donated 2,000 Oxford AstraZeneca doses and Barbados donated 1,000 in order for St. Lucia to move swiftly in vaccinating those at highest risk in its population. The two countries are the first in the region to have received consignments of the vaccine from India under the Vaccine Matri Initiative. On Sunday, February 7, the government of India dispatched 100,000 doses to Barbados and 70,000 to Dominica. Within the week, the two islands received their consignments, allocated and shipped batches to their Caribbean neighbors, including St. Lucia. Dominica's Prime Minister, Hon. Roosevelt Scarrett, during his weekly televised talk show, told why he paid it forward. It makes no sense if one country is fully vaccinated and the neighbors are not. And therefore, this spirit calls for multilateralism and it also calls for empathy and it calls for a spirit of sharing. Dominica also donated 5,000 doses each to St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Antigua and Barbuda from their India donation. Hon. Scarrett is thankful to the Asian nation for its swift and favourable response to his early request for vaccine support. He is also pleased to assist neighbouring islands in beginning urgent vaccination campaigns against the COVID-19 virus. I don't think I could go to bed knowing that I have 70,000 doses of vaccines and not share with the rest of the world as small as what we gave them is or was. That is the fact. But it's so they can start the process. These vaccination donations to St. Lucia will be used in the roll out of the first phase of vaccinations for 1,500 frontline workers including medical personnel, state security, including the police, fire service, correctional officers and paramedics. During the first parliamentary sitting for the year when only Barbados' donation was confirmed, Prime Minister Hon. Alan Chastney announced Prime Minister Mia Motley's gesture to the Hon. House. She did that because she clearly understands the stress we're all under, particularly with our front miners. This is not to say like we're a huge metropolitan country and we have lots of other resources to make up for that. We know that when a police station goes down, everybody in the police station goes down with it. God forbid that we have any of our nurses affected significantly where it would cause us to have to close down one of our main hospitals. So I'm very grateful to her and the people of Barbados that have agreed to share these vaccines with us. Prime Minister Chastney also announced that 74,400 doses of the vaccine will arrive on Island before the end of February, procured through the COVAX facility. Hon. Chastney indicates that his government intends to purchase additional Oxford AstraZeneca doses from India and like other OECS member states, awaits a direct donation from that country as well. Discussions are also ongoing for vaccines from the African Union. For the Government Information Service, I am Jesse Leance reporting.