Vaccine roll out to pause on New Providence

A bottle of the AstraZeneca vaccine is displayed in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

As of Wednesday, April 14, 2021

COVID vaccinations on New Providence will come to a halt on Friday evening to allow officials time to reassess the rollout.

Since the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine began being administered just a few weeks ago the committee overseeing the rollout has been carefully monitoring the uptake on the those stepping forward to receive the injection.

Initially the government had just 20,000 doses of the vaccines available - a gift of the Indian government - which was later supplemented by another 32,500 doses through COVAX - the global vaccine programme.

Here in The Bahamas priority workers such as those working in the health sector were the first to be offered the vaccine and over the subsequent weeks this has been broadened to include many other sectors - including just days ago anyone over 50.

The vaccine committee believes it now needs to pause the rollout to assess the uptake of the vaccine against available supplies and how it should move forward.

Most recent public statements on the uptake of inoculations say 15,000 have taken the vaccine but this is now likely to be several thousand higher.

A key question the vaccine committee will now take - in consultation with the government - is how to manage supplies moving forward.

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has told the country the second supply from COVAX ‘should’ be here around the end of May but there is no guarantee on this.

Officials here need to decide - given the take up they have seen over recent weeks - whether those who have stood forward to take Dose One should now be given Dose Two from the initial 52,000 doses available.

The problem is if they continue to issue ‘first doses’ to everyone who wants the vaccine, will they have supplies available once the requirement for the second inoculation comes around?

If they give them to those who have already had the first dose, the members of the public who have chosen to “wait to see what happens” will then have to wait on the government’s ability to secure further supplies of the vaccine.

FreeUs242 3 years ago

Exactly, GOVERNMENT should be held accountable if anyone gets severely sick because they fail to properly explore the vaccine before giving it toward the people.

FreeUs242 3 years ago

They need to be honest with the public. The Indians isn't even administering AstraZeneca anymore. They are using Russian vaccine or covax. A lot of DOCTORS coming forward on the potential blood clotting in AstraZeneca.

becks 3 years ago

Covax is an organization, its not the vaccine itself. I'd rather get the Astra Zeneca than the Russian Sputnik vaccine, which even the Russians admit isn't as good as the others.

FreeUs242 3 years ago

They are distributing and uncertain, cheap, malicious undevelop vaccine to the Bahamas. These pharmaceutical companies playing dangerous games of producing powerful illness related injections on society. Our GOVERNMENT is just as bad to allow it knowing it causes potential blood clotting from AstraZeneca. I wouldn't trust hospitals now because they can falsify ppl's diagnoses to knowing the truth.

FreeUs242 3 years ago

What about those people injected with AstraZeneca, will they be injected with a different vaccine in second dosage if not able to receive what u guys already put in them? Everything should have halted with 20,000 AstraZeneca first shipment, not even a batch of 100,000 on first shipment. They were too happy to rush only 20,000 and now there's a huge shortage. AstraZeneca is not good 👍

FreeUs242 3 years ago

The GOVERNMENT was so happy to get 20,000 AstraZeneca and 32,000 covax with a population of maybe 400,000 inhabitants. Now they are uncertain if they will ever receive a second batch of the same vaccines. Half of bahamians will be vaccinated with a different vaccine or even a mixture of both vaccines inside their bodies, not even half vaccinated. I am against vaccines being forced on the workers who's mentally abused to vaccinate or not work and defenseless elderly who has no choice to decide. Only saw one gov politician vaccinated (PM Minnis) if he was honest. No politicians getting the vaccine?

ohdrap4 3 years ago

The problem is if they continue to issue ‘first doses’ to everyone who wants the vaccine, will they have supplies available once the requirement for the second inoculation comes around?

That is because they are handling the vaccine supplies like their bank book. Just spend what is there and do not plan for the next month's expenses.

Reporters asked these questions and were just brushed aside.

If they give them to those who have already had the first dose, the members of the public who have chosen to “wait to see what happens” will then have to wait on the government’s ability to secure further supplies of the vaccine.

you snooze you lose as they say. In this case the snoozers have won.

I am shocked at the number of my acquaintances who have rushed to be vaccinated. Bahamians just love these free things.

I did think about that too, that I might end up with doses of different brands if the second shipment does not come.

Please someone force them scientists and politicians to watch The Count on Sesame street to learn something.

But, ME SUSPECTS NOTHING ELSE IS COMING FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.

carltonr61 3 years ago

All spin. Haiti and the USA refuse AZ our tyrannical gov bans flight to Haiti out of their elite racism so I guess flights from USA will be banned also.

carltonr61 3 years ago

https://sputniknews.com/world/2021041...">https://sputniknews.com/world/2021041...

In particular, AstraZeneca’s ChAdOx1-S vaccine uses chimpanzee adenovirus to deliver the antigen, consisting of S-protein combined with leader sequence of tissue-type plasminogen activator. The vaccine from Johnson&Johnson uses human adenovirus serotype Ad26 and full-length S-protein stabilized by mutations. In addition, it is produced using the PER.C6 cell line (embryonic retinal cells), which is not widely represented among other registered products," it explained.

tribanon 3 years ago

There is now growing concern these vaccines could be harmful to persons who have already developed a strong natural immunity to COVID-19 and other corona viruses. Unfortunately insufficient and/or inadequate studies were done to justify the indiscriminate jabbing that has been going on. Persons who already have a strong natural immunity to COVID-19 and the more common 'cold' corona viruses could be at greatest risk of potential harm from the vaccines.

The jury is of course still out on this but I personally would not entertain getting jabbed without first being tested to find out whether I've already developed a strong natural immunity to COVID-19 and other corona viruses. Just one more thing to worry about when it comes to these warp speed developed vaccines approved for emergency use with their big pharma developers having been granted immunity from lawsuits by governments around the world.

ForeverDreamer 3 years ago

I'm so sick of these drastic comments. First, it was government control practice. Then it was a cover for "5G population control", then it became vaccine injection mind/body control or sterilization, now it's "it's just too risky".

I would argue that, the same persons have held 3 or 4 of these positions since March 2020 to now April 2021. Stay insane, folks.

ThisIsOurs 3 years ago

well my comment was seat of pants again BUT at least they're reassessing. That's pretty consistent from me. I'm in favour of vaccines always have been I just didn't like how this rush was going and just yesterday Dr Brennen says nobody called them to say they had ill effects from the vaccine? What kind of rollout is that???? You don't followup to make sure at least a sample were ok? So im consistent. Thanks for the pause.

ohdrap4 3 years ago

What drastic comments dude? I guess you do not live in the bahamas.

People drive around woth comfort letters because they run out of car plates, they run out of plastic cards at NIB, they run out of plastic cards to make driver's licence, the fire engine takes 40 min to come to potter's cay because they had no water, the hospital runs out of blood.

NOW, I must trust they have a second dose for me? .think again.

tribanon 3 years ago

Amen!

ForeverDreamer 2 years, 10 months ago

....

FreeUs242 3 years ago

Blame government for their lack of common sense on how to run a country and not run it to the ground. Who have the big houses out west, and can travel without a pcr test for so call meetings? Who's getting a big fat paycheck out of ur pockets from taxes? How many Bahamians have their own homes? Ppl here is having a fight just to own a business. This GOVERNMENT doesn't give a rat azz about its own ppl.

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