THE United States has found itself with a welcome problem – more vaccines than it needs right now.
It has around 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine – the same one we are using so far – that it hasn’t made use of so far. US leadership is confident enough in the other three vaccines it has been using and it hadn’t given the full green light to the AstraZeneca vaccine so far – so it’s putting its faith in the others and making the AstraZeneca doses available where it’s needed elsewhere.
Some of the first countries to receive vaccines are the neighbours of the US - starting with Mexico and Canada. Well, hello neighbour.
Up has popped Health Minister Renward Wells to remind the US of our position not far offshore. He might lack a bit of grace in doing so – saying that apart from Mexico and Canada “the only other three countries that sit on its borders are Cuba, Russia and The Bahamas”. The rest of CARICOM has ceased to exist, it would seem.
However, we would hope we are in a good position as a popular destination for US tourists that it would make good sense for the US to extend a helping hand our way. After all, protecting people here will also protect those visitors by giving them a safe, virus-free place to holiday.
We would need to live up to our end of the deal and actually take the vaccine, of course.
And if we need any incentive to do so, we need only look to the nation that was the first in line to help The Bahamas when we needed vaccines.
India provided The Bahamas with its first 20,000 vaccine doses.
At the time, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said: “We are more than happy that India has assisted us.”
From helper to in need of help, India has now experienced such a surge of COVID-19 that it is being overwhelmed. Yesterday, in one day alone, India recorded more than 320,000 new cases of COVID-19.
India’s top health official on Monday urged people to start wearing masks at home to stop the spread of the virus. “It’s time people start wearing masks inside their home as well,” said Dr VK Paul, head of a government committee on medical emergency preparedness. India has also called in the armed forces to help, and countries around the world have promised medical aid, including oxygen supplies, ventilators and protective gear.
We hope that some of the excess vaccine supply from the US will help India too – though to be clear, if every dose of that 60 million was sent, it would only vaccinate around two percent of India’s population. That won’t solve the crisis there alone.
There is a global picture to consider with this virus – and we have to think about stamping it out worldwide as well as locally, to stop hotspots leading to new variants that vaccines might be less effective at stopping.
India’s troubles should be a warning to us here in The Bahamas. If not taken seriously, if we relent for a moment with this virus, it can run out of control and leave us in crisis.
This should be an alert to those who host or attend large gatherings. It should be a reminder of the need to follow the protocols we have adhered to for so long now. And we should take the vaccine to give this virus less of a chance.
If we get a helping hand from the US, we must be grateful. And we must do what we can to help elsewhere in turn. It’s the right thing to do.
Comments
John 3 years ago
The forgoing must be a paid, political broadcast. First off, the US doesn’t have 60 million vaccines it doesn’t need! It has 60 million of the AstraGenica vaccines that it could not get approval to use on American citizens. These vaccines have a limited shelf life, so rather than allowing them to expire and become useless, the US has decided to give them away. To countries that are more hungry for vaccines and has less stringent restrictions (Bahamas). Secondly the US itself has hit a brick wall with its own mass vaccinations efforts. Many Americans have decided they don’t want the vaccines or some don’t want the second dose. So many of the vaccinations sites across America are inactive or even closing. And, like our government, the US government is trying to offer rewards and inducements to persons who take the vaccines. Like not having to wear masks in certain environments or being able to travel without Covid tests. Or indoor dining. Wow a big one! But no, no thanks! Apparently the people who want to do indoor dining or travel unrestricted or go mask less have already taken their vaccinations. Both shots where required. The rest of the population ain’t budging. ‘No thank you, but no thanks!’ Maybe the script about the vaccines has too many holes in it (so don’t put no hole in my arm, at least not just right now’. Now what exactly does these vaccines do again?
WETHEPEOPLE 3 years ago
Yay!! Lets thank our neighbours because they didnt want their garbage vaccine, so just pass a few on to the bahamian monkeys
Proguing 3 years ago
Yep, but not before we beg for it....
1pnewman 3 years ago
Three renowned epidemologists commenting with the utmost assurance on the subject.
ohdrap4 3 years ago
Idle blogger friends.
When i buy from amazon, i see a foreign currency conversion, which i have always paid.
But now the card is charging an additional "Government Foreign exchange fee". The works out to be devaluation!!
This vaccine stuff is just a distraction.
John 3 years ago
I used my card locally a few times to find out local businesses were charging in US $ instead of Bahamian currency. So as the customer you pay conversion fees etc. And as the funds go on to their US $ account they avoid paying these fees when they use the funds internationally. A few cents or dollars here and there certainly adds up
John 3 years ago
This time last year, the Country was under full lockdown. Residents were allowed to go to the food stores, gas stations, banks and pharmacies. Everything else was closed. In fact this was the week when the competent authority allowed home furnishings stores to open two or three days a week for a few hours. They later adjusted the description to say ‘plumbing stores, hardware stores and building supplies.’ So some stores who could open under the previous emergency orders could not open under the revised orders. And today 1 year later, the Covid-19 cases continue to escalate. Definitely much more than they were this time last year. The country remains wide open. Much to the pleasure of many. A balancing act between Covid safety and economics. The country is ailing and could barely survive lockdowns or increased curfews. So the trade off is additional Covid -19 cases and possibly deaths.
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