The donation ceremonies for Taiwan Can Help COVID-19 vaccine doses are staged March 3 in Caribbean allies St. Lucia (left) and March 7 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. (MOFA)

Taiwan recently donated 10,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to the country’s Caribbean allies St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, respectively, as part of government efforts strengthening the international community’s response to the pandemic.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first donation was made March 3 by Peter Chia-yen Chen, ROC (Taiwan) ambassador to St. Lucia, to Moses Jn. Baptiste, minister of health, wellness and elderly affairs, while the second was carried out four days later by Peter Sha-li Lan, ROC (Taiwan) ambassador to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to St. Clair Prince, minister of health, wellness and the environment.

During the handover ceremonies, Chen and Lan reaffirmed Taiwan’s commitment to assisting St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines bolster national vaccination programs. In response, Baptiste and Prince expressed heartfelt gratitude for the timely support.

The MOFA said the donations are in keeping with the spirit of Taiwan Can Help and the World Health Organization’s vision of Health for All. Every effort will be made by the government in working with allies and partners to combat coronavirus and fast-track the post-pandemic bounceback, the ministry added.

In a tweet on its official twitter account, the MOFA said “#Taiwan is a responsible member of the global community working to achieve the @WHO’s vision of #HealthForAll. Our #TaiwanCanHelp donations of 10K #COVID19 vaccine shots to #Caribbean allies #StLucia & #StVincentAndTheGrenadines will save lives & power progress on #SDG3!” (SFC-E)