PM should apologize for his part in illegal Moderna saga, Tabor says, while Browne’s new story contradicts his original tale
Senator Damani Tabor is calling on the Prime Minister to apologize to the Nation for his part in what is considered the illegal acquisition of the Moderna vaccine early this year.
Two Saturdays ago, PM Gaston Browne admitted that he was inoculated with the drug while it was under embargo in the United States – meaning the Moderna vaccine should not have left that country.
Tabor says this illegality has helped to fuel the public’s distrust of the vaccination campaign.
On the other hand, Browne is denying any wrongdoing. He now claims that an American citizen who was in possession of a vial of the vaccine simply shared it with him and a number of other locals.
Even though the vaccine was under US embargo and therefore not available to Antigua & Barbuda, Browne insists that the US citizen had every right to have the drug in his possession here, in Antigua & Barbuda.
Further, instead of discarding the other nine doses of the drug after the vial was opened, the American shared it, Browne says.
He declares that he accepted the vaccine to protect himself, his family, and others since he was working on a daily basis during the pandemic last year.
Browne says that persons are now trying to spin the narrative to make it appear that he did something wrong.
An Internet search has revealed that the man alleged to have administered the drug – Dr. Wael Yacoub – is of Syrian nationality. In December 2020, he posted a photograph of himself being vaccinated in the United States, along with a message to his patients.
Accordingly, residents are asking why the doctor would have brought a vial of the Moderna vaccine here, in January 2021, to be vaccinated again.
They also want to know why he would have issued to PM Browne an official US vaccination card that bears the logo of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Further, in a video clip released by Browne, himself, a local female doctor is seen administering what he identified as his second shot of Moderna in February this year. Yet, the “signature” validating the jab is purported to be that of Dr. Yacoub.
Some persons tell REAL News the situation is fishy and they still do not believe the Prime Minister’s claim that he has been vaccinated. Accordingly, they are calling for an investigation by the Ministry of Health, the Pharmaceutical Council, and even the CDC.
