Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Sep 01, 2025

Malone defends offering lunches for jabs as BVI surpasses 10K vaccinations

Malone defends offering lunches for jabs as BVI surpasses 10K vaccinations

The British Virgin Islands has now administered more than 10,000 first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine but Health Minister Carvin Malone has had to be warding off criticism relating to how the BVI inched past the milestone.

At the start of the business day on Wednesday, April 29, the BVI was a few dozen jabs short of having 10,000 persons accept the vaccine.

With widespread refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine locally, Malone — to move the process along — offered free lunches to the first 61 persons who took their first dose of the vaccine before the end of the day and proved it. Sixty-one was the number of vaccinations needed to reach 10,000 and he issued the challenge under the hashtag, ‘#Jab&Dine‘.

A total of 112 persons vaccinated that day; bringing the total number of vaccinations to date to 10,051. However, some residents have described #Jab&Dine as distasteful and bribery.

Malone has rebuffed those claims.

“This was not, as some as speculated, a bribe to get anyone. We have to reopen our economy. We have to make sure that all is done in terms of following the protocols and this (vaccination) is the science that is offered to us in terms of how we get through this,” Malone stated Wednesday evening.

Not my wish to intimidate, threaten, or blackmail


And while continuing the conversation this morning, Malone said the 112 persons who vaccinated yesterday did so “voluntarily and WITHOUT being blackmailed”.

“In celebration of the 10,000 persons mark, I will personally honour my pledge to the first 61 persons who submit their immunisation card or picture to 441-0332. #Jab&Dine,” the minister stated.

He added: “Just like other deadly viruses throughout the ages, vaccination is required to lessen the transmission and the effects of COVID-19. It is NOT my wish to intimidate you, to threaten you or to blackmail you but rather to advise of the benefits of being vaccinated. Why risk your life and the life of others? Why risk your business and the business of others? Why risk your job and the job of others? The choice is yours. There are sufficient vaccines for an additional 7,000 persons. Will you be one? The opportunity is here but the choice is yours. Don’t hesitate, vaccinate!”

To date, the BVI has received a total of 34,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine — enough to inoculate 17 thousand people.

The vaccines currently in hand will expire before the end of the second quarter of 2021. The government said it is willing to return unwanted vaccines to the UK and Dominica so they can be given to persons who need the jabs in those countries.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×