The Minister of Health, Terrance Deyalsingh said he has taken note of statements made by Opposition Leader, Kamla Persad-Bissessar as it relates to the signing of a Non-Disclosure agreement with Sinopharm.
Minister Deyalsingh in a release issued the following information on the issue:
- A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legally binding contract used to establish a confidential relationship between two parties.
- The non-disclosure agreement is a normal part of the procedure to facilitate negotiations and the placement of an indicative order of a COVID-19 vaccine, once the vaccine receives WHO approval.
- The Ministry of Health has indicated publically and transparently when it has signed such NDAs in the past.
- The Ministry of Health has signed non-disclosure agreements with Pfizer and with Sinopharm as part of the standard negotiating process.
- The signing of an NDA does not bind a country to purchase vaccines from the manufacturer.
He ended by saying “the attempts to undermine the acquisition of COVID-19 vaccines are not in the best interest of Trinidad and Tobago’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic or of the nation in general.”
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