Governor of the Virgin Islands (VI) His Excellency Augustus J. U Jaspert, according to a Government Information Service (GIS) press release on November 2, 2020, had said the Virgin Islands and other Overseas Territories (OTs) are expected to receive any COVID-19 vaccine procured by the United Kingdom (UK).

Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) has said any COVID-19 vaccine will not be forced upon persons wishing not to take it for religious or other reasons.

'Don't live in fear'

Since then some persons have publicly expressed fears about taking the vaccine.

Addressing the issue during his programme last night, November 26, 2020, Skelton-Cline said the theories that have been circulating in that regard is not factual or science-based.

“They have been trying to find a cure for cancer for how many years now. How many billions of dollars has been spent? Sometimes God touch you, and you are healed instantly, and other times healing comes by way of medicine and medication. They are not in contradiction to each other; they are complimentary to each other. So I am saying all this to say I don’t want you to live in fear out of fiction and conspiracy,” he remarked.

He said some persons have said, they don’t know if they will take the COVID-19 vaccine, but “what you going to do?” he asked.

He continued: “I mean come on, we trust so many other things every day, I mean just to wake up is an effort in trust. We get in trains; we drive in cars, all those matters. We go down to the Dr D. Orlando Smith Hospital; we go up to Bougainvillea, we go to the pharmacy we get a prescription, we don’t know a thing what is in that tablet but we take them and hope to God they work and more often than not they do!”

Governor of the Virgin Islands (VI) His Excellency Augustus J. U Jaspert, according to a Government Information Service (GIS) press release on November 2, 2020, had said the Virgin Islands and other Overseas Territories (OTs) are expected to receive any COVID-19 vaccine procured by the United Kingdom (UK).

'Talk about mark of the beast is nonsense'

Speaking at a public event at Festival Grounds on Saturday, November 7, 2020, prominent farmer and cultural icon Moviene F. Fahie called the vaccine the mark of the beast.

She stated that persons should be wary about becoming guinea pigs and said she hopes any vaccine that is made available to the VI would have been properly tested.

“You see that injection that you all sending in here from England, they need to test it on England people first, because Moviene Fahie or Smith, I am a Smith, from blood I am a Smith, I am not taking no injection, I am natural, let me die and go home to my Jehovah, I am not taking no injection. That’s the mark of the beast.”

According to Skelton-Cline, religious persons who state that it is the Mark of the Beast is also wrong.

There have been many debates as to what the mark of the beast refers to in Bible prophecy.

This mark, according to some Christians, acts as a seal for the followers of Antichrist and the false prophet (the spokesperson for the Antichrist).

Some Christians believe the mark is literally placed in the hand or forehead, such as a microchip or a tattoo, while some believe the mark refers to choice of worship and obedience and is not a literal mark.

“Nothing can be crazier than some toxic religion that is really the stuff that becomes fanatical, talking about there is a chip in the vaccine. As a matter of fact, all the talk about the Mark of the Beast is nonsense, yes that’s what I just said as a trained theologer, as a pastor/teacher. You have not read the book of Revelation, and you can come up with this stuff. It is nonsense! We have chips now: you and I are monitored now by the devices that we use! I can’t wait for the vaccine to come!” Skelton-Cline stated.

Meanwhile, Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) has said any COVID-19 vaccine will not be forced upon persons wishing not to take it for religious or other reasons.

US drugmaker Pfizer said on Monday, November 9, 2020, that human trials suggest its coronavirus vaccine is 90% effective at preventing COVID-19 infections in people not known to have had the virus already.