Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Pfizer will become BVI’s vaccine of choice in the new year

Pfizer will become BVI’s vaccine of choice in the new year

The Pfizer vaccine will become the vaccine of choice in the territory as the Ministry of Health is expecting that the supply ability of AstraZeneca will be less in the new year.

Earlier this month, the ministry received 4,680 doses of the Pfizer vaccine from the United Kingdom and more are expected to become available in January.

Acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Ronald Georges said the Oxford University in the UK carried out a large trial to determine which vaccines would be most effective as booster doses and results revealed vaccines such as Pfizer, which has mRNA technology, would be best.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that to trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. Not mRNA vaccines. Instead, mRNA vaccines use molecules created in a laboratory to teach our cells how to make a protein—or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response inside our bodies.

“The findings [from Oxford University’s study] were that the mRNA vaccines give the best overall increase in neutralising antibodies and immunity as a booster vaccine. Pfizer vaccine, an mRNA vaccine was then chosen as the easier vaccine to supply to the territories,” Dr Georges said.

The acting CMO also said persons who are fully vaccinated with any of the other World Health Organization (WHO) approved vaccines are eligible to receive the Pfizer booster shots when it is necessary.

“Persons who have completed their primary vaccination with either a two-dose regimen like AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, or Sinovac or a one-dose regimen (Johnson and Johnson) can receive a booster of the Pfizer vaccine three months after completion of their last dose. A booster dose simply provides a recent stimulus to the immune system to boost the levels of neutralising antibodies and cellular immunity to COVID,” Dr Georges mentioned.

“Persons who are severely immune-compromised, e.g. those on chemotherapy, or on high doses of steroid, or on other immune-suppressive therapy may be eligible for a third dose which can be Pfizer as well as a booster dose three months after to ensure that they sustain sufficient immune protection,” he added.

Over 60 percent of BVI’s population vaccinated


Meanwhile, Dr Georges said the main tools of control and suppression by the government in the past have been curfews, business restrictions and lockdowns.

However, he noted that government’s policy has moved past these drastic measures as vaccination rates have increased to more than 60 percent.

Nonetheless, the acting CMO is urging more people to get vaccinated and for those eligible to get their booster shots. He said the Ministry of Health is monitoring the Omicron variant which is not currently in the territory but has been identified in the region.

Dr Georges also noted the current surges in cases is a result of the Delta variant as 23 samples returned a positive result for the mentioned variant.

“They (the government) have put in place entry quarantine restrictions, a system in place to isolate positive cases, and has made the necessary provisions for cases requiring clinical care at the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital. With these provisions, the government has shifted its strategy to requiring persons to take personal responsibility while allowing economic and social activity to carry on,” Dr Georges explained.

The last update on Christmas Eve showed there were 143 active cases in the Virgin Islands with 133 on Tortola and the remaining 10 on Virgin Gorda.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×