Drastic Slow Down In Vaccinations
Minister for Health and Social Development Hon. Carvin Malone has expressed concern over the low volume of persons seeking their COVID-19 jabs of late.
He said on the Honestly Speaking Radio Programme yesterday, September 14, that the numbers are too low.
“The rate of admission for first-timers has gone to a drastic low, and I don’t like that,” he remarked.
He continued: “A drastic low in terms of numbers, I mean in the Carrot Bay community, they down there twiddling thumbs. They are used to 200, and they down there with 35 but not even first doses, single digits first doses, it doesn’t make sense.”
The Health Minister’s concern also stemmed from what appears to be a waste of the available vaccines being offered at no cost to residents.
“We have it [vaccines], people can’t get it, we are throwing it away, it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Notably, the territory has discarded vaccines in the hundreds, and despite this, the territory continues to benefit from these AstraZeneca vaccines from the United Kingdom (UK).
Last month, Premier and Finance Minister Hon. Andrew Fahie said that the BVI still needs about 5000 persons to be vaccinated.
"We still need about 5,500 persons to become vaccinated to put us on the path to developing herd immunity. I know that we will achieve this goal; we are in this together," Premier Fahie said at a press conference.
It was previously disclosed that over 17,000 persons have taken COVID-19 vaccines, of which just under 13,000 are fully-vaccinated.
Some vaccine supplies expired on 31 August, 2021.
“The rate of admission for first-timers has gone to a drastic low, and I don’t like that,” he remarked.
He continued: “A drastic low in terms of numbers, I mean in the Carrot Bay community, they down there twiddling thumbs. They are used to 200, and they down there with 35 but not even first doses, single digits first doses, it doesn’t make sense.”
The Health Minister’s concern also stemmed from what appears to be a waste of the available vaccines being offered at no cost to residents.
“We have it [vaccines], people can’t get it, we are throwing it away, it doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Notably, the territory has discarded vaccines in the hundreds, and despite this, the territory continues to benefit from these AstraZeneca vaccines from the United Kingdom (UK).
Last month, Premier and Finance Minister Hon. Andrew Fahie said that the BVI still needs about 5000 persons to be vaccinated.
"We still need about 5,500 persons to become vaccinated to put us on the path to developing herd immunity. I know that we will achieve this goal; we are in this together," Premier Fahie said at a press conference.
It was previously disclosed that over 17,000 persons have taken COVID-19 vaccines, of which just under 13,000 are fully-vaccinated.
Some vaccine supplies expired on 31 August, 2021.
