PRIME Minister Hubert Minnis welcomes the third tranche of 33,600 AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines via the Covax facility. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday again encouraged people to get vaccinated as quickly as possible as he marked the arrival of 33,600 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.
The vaccines, which were obtained through the World Health Organisation’s COVAX facility, come as COVID-19 cases surge in The Bahamas and as vaccine supplies run low.
Thirty-five new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Monday and a 36-year-old woman of New Providence who died on Monday was the latest death recorded.
People fully vaccinated against the virus total 46,793. There have been 106,898 doses of the vaccine administered and 61,803 people have got one dose.
“For those waiting to make an appointment for a second dose of the vaccine, I encourage you to book your appointment as soon as possible,” Dr Minnis said at Jet Aviation, where the vaccines arrived.
“If you haven’t received your first dose yet please book an appointment online or visit one of the walk-up centres as they become available.”
“I would like to emphasise that throughout the pandemic the SARS-COV-2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, has continued to change. There have been many new variants of the virus and there will be more. We were taught in medical school how quickly a virus adapts to efforts to stop its spread, especially when a large number of people remain unvaccinated. This is why it is important for as many people to get vaccinated as quickly as possible. This is the most effective way to address and to show the spread of a virus and its variants.”
Dr Minnis said the government is continuing to work with the United States on their donation of vaccines to this country. He said last week the US Embassy in Nassau donated four ultra-cold freezers, three of which will be used at an expanded EPU unit on New Providence while the other is sent to Grand Bahama. He said the US has also donated PPE to safely use the freezers.
Of the newly arrived 33,600 vaccine doses, 5000 will be sent to Antigua and Barbuda as payment for the vaccines that country sent to the Bahamas in late June.
Dr Minnis said second vaccine doses will be available at the Loyola Hall centre on Gladstone Road starting tomorrow and Friday.
Next Monday, people will be able to get vaccines at the Church of God of Prophecy. The Baha Mar Convention Centre and St Anselm’s Church Hall will be available for vaccines starting August 11.
Dr Minnis said health officials are working on a schedule to continue vaccinating people on Family Islands.
Dr Minnis and Health Minister Renward Wells have previously said the administration will let emergency powers orders lapse on August 13.
However, yesterday he said the matter is under discussion by Cabinet and health officials. Many believe that with rising cases and high hospitalisation numbers, the administration is unlikely to move forward without some ability to restrict the activities and gatherings of people.
UNITED STATES DELIVERS FREEZERS FOR VACCINES
THE United States has delivered four ultra-low temperature medical freezers to the Ministry of Health for storing COVID- 19 vaccines.
The four freezers, valued at over $100,000 can cool vaccine doses at up to -122 degrees Fahrenheit and can store over 168,000 doses.
US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) facilitated the acquisition of the freezers. In addition to the ULT medical freezers, USNORTHCOM is also providing additional medical supplies – valued at around $115,000 – needed to administer and handle any vaccine doses received, including syringes, phlebotomy equipment and specialised tools and personal protective equipment for manipulating materials at sub-zero temperatures.
Those materials will be arriving over the coming week.
General Glen VanHerck, commander of NORAD and USNORTHCOM said officials are committed to ensuring The Bahamas has the equipment it needs to reach vaccination goals.
He said: “To completely defeat this virus we cannot isolate our response to domestic actions, we need to support and supplement the medical infrastructure of our geographic partners, and recognize that their safety is our safety. US Northern Command is committed to the support of The Bahamas and ensuring they are equipped to reach their vaccination goals.”
This latest donation of ULT freezers and additional supplies adds to the long list of donations and assistance the US has already provided to The Bahamas through the pandemic.
These include: two Rhode Island National Guard missions to distribute thousands of vaccine doses to eight family islands throughout The Bahamas (Mayaguana, Acklins Island, Crooked Island, Cat Island, Long Island, Inagua, Bimini, and Eleuthera); $535,000 in AIRVO respirators, Biofire test kits, and additional medical supplies from USNORTHC; mobile shelters especially retrofitted to serve as medical tents for the COVID-19 response.
Further $20,000 worth of respirator equipment from Rhode Island National Guard and a $750,000 USAID ongoing grant to Bahamas Red Cross Society, which has provided (among others) – $85,000 BioFire respiratory disease rapid diagnostic machine, PPE and other services for frontline medical workers and sanitising stations at local schools in New Providence.
Comments
WETHEPEOPLE 2 years, 8 months ago
Yawn
rodentos 2 years, 8 months ago
and if not what? jail?
CoolCatBD 2 years, 8 months ago
In some countries, they kill the SIM in your phone!
ohdrap4 2 years, 8 months ago
The emergency orders will end on Friday the 13th.
It is ominous.
carltonr61 2 years, 8 months ago
In France hundreds of thousands nurses, firefighters and doctors unions have defied vaccine orders and went on strike marching in the squares. They refuse health pass and demand dignity over their own bodies.
ohdrap4 2 years, 8 months ago
My brother capitulated. Afraid of losing his job.
No doctor would issue a medical excuse.
carltonr61 2 years, 8 months ago
A friend of mine also. Sad.
carltonr61 2 years, 8 months ago
The vaccine logic keeps getting hazier. First it was the cure. Today WHO announced 10% of every nation be vaccinated with focus now on Africa. After three suspicions silent deaths of three no Vax leaders. No world outcry from the UN. 70% vaccination to reach herd immunity is no longer viable because new strains pop up that assists some moving goalposts toward child vaccination and QRcoding of all living souls.vaccine logic has creeped from saving your life to give you a better survival rate. Things are moving at warp speed as now we know they loose efficacy after six months and that the vaccinated must wear masks because they spread the virus. The only safe people to be around are the unvaccinated. But everyone must carry out personal health protection common sense.
DDK 2 years, 8 months ago
This P.M., like all the rest, should get a life!
carltonr61 2 years, 8 months ago
The PM is on global play act script. Canada, France, Australia are in lock step with us competing for the killer of civilization medal from gates. A great soldier.
stillwaters 2 years, 8 months ago
Wonder what Wayne Munroe is saying now from his bed at Doctors Hospital covid ward.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
Sigh
There are 60,000 people in the queue who've only had their 1st dose. This shipment is 30,000 doses.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
"We were taught in medical school how quickly a virus adapts to efforts to stop its spread, especially when a large number of people remain unvaccinate*"
Seriously??? This cant be from the same people who sent samples off and waited 5 months for results then proudly announced that there was no evidence of any variants, all in the face of months of evidence of COVID variants. So egregious was their statement that the CDC put out a statement a week later to refute it and warn Americans of the likelihood of variants in the Bahamas. They een learn no lesson from medical school
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 8 months ago
US just made vaccine mandatory for foreign visitors.
Lol...
That'll do it. Bahamians will all be vaccinated in tree weeks...
😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣
tribanon 2 years, 8 months ago
And this matter is already before the Federal Court for an expedited hearing on the grounds that it constitutes unacceptable blatant discrimination of the worst possible kind. Common sense alone says this ridiculous vaccination requirement on the part of the Biden administration for foreigners entering the US will not be supported by the Federal Court. lol
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 8 months ago
The courts have already said making it mandatory for health workers is ok. They won't strike this down. Wanna go to Walmart? Get ya shot... Lol...
tribanon 2 years, 8 months ago
Wrong!
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
No they won't. We still dont have any vaccines. We dont even have enough for the people wanting 2nd doses
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 8 months ago
Lol. What does us not having enough shots have to do with US policy? Lol..
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
It has nothing to do with US policy but everything to do with "your" statement. I think a cost effective and readily available, approved travel vaccine might be a good idea. We do it already with other diseases.
Btw I searched high and low I haven't found any policy that says foreign travellers need to be vaccinated to enter the US. If you have it you can post it. I did find one story alluding to the fact that govt "might" move in the direction of requiring vaccination for travel but that was only hypothetical
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 8 months ago
Does our PM really need to be at the airport every time a vaccine shipment arrives? Muddos man, you aint got nothin better to do?
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
yeah, standing up for days on end doing the nurse job.
Cause I cant believe his interpretation of "joining the fight" will be the 30 mins it takes to get a picture holding a needle
tribanon 2 years, 8 months ago
This is actually a most profound and telling statement by Minnis when one considers that it's not the unvaccinated who are making efforts to stop the spread of the Wuhan Virus and its variants, but rather the vaccinated. And there are many reputable virologists who believe the vaccinated are responsible for triggering mutations of the Wuhan Virus to more transmissible variants as the virus combats and seeks to defeat the global vaccination effort.
It is for this very reason that there's a growing school of thought among leading scientists that public health experts should have all along been calling for the vaccination of only the more vulnerable, e.g. individuals over age 65 with serious co-mobidities, immuno-compromised individuals, etc. In other words, a vaccination effort targeted at only the more vulnerable among us may have averted the development of so many virulent variants of the Wuhan Virus.
TalRussell 2 years, 8 months ago
Seriously, was it so important to set up police roadblocks all one man's motor car with its policeman's side riders to head to the airport,
Lest we forget all horrors of 35 House-elected reds all captured in yet another pre-general election campaign photo op, yes?
tribanon 2 years, 8 months ago
ZZZZZzzzzzz......
The_Oracle 2 years, 8 months ago
So when they do get doses for the balance of those waiting for second doses,(per above, 60 k) and those who await at his insistence a first dose, will that be administered by Brave? The BS is strong with this Jedi.......
tribanon 2 years, 8 months ago
Just make sure you see the expiration date on the little vaccine dose bottle before getting jabbed. And if there's no expiration date shown, think twice!
birdiestrachan 2 years, 8 months ago
roc with the doc was having a Kodak moment. posing for pictures showing off
He will do well to pose with those poor people at the PMH suffering in the elements.
whogothere 2 years, 8 months ago
But Dr Minnis variants are not the whole issue - it is also the fact that the Vaccine you're peddling is loosing its effectiveness against those variants... As Israel gets ready for booster 3 - and more variants circle the globe are you really going to and can The Bahamas afford to provide thrice annual shots just so it's citizens can participate in soceity?
"Data released by the Health Ministry on Thursday suggested that people vaccinated in January were said to have just 16% protection against infection now, while in those vaccinated in April the effectiveness was at 75%"
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hmo-tho...">https://www.timesofisrael.com/hmo-tho...
Chucky 2 years, 8 months ago
https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamh...">https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamh...
A good news story written by Harvard doctor about the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
You be the judge
happyfly 2 years, 8 months ago
33,000 more doses LOL. Is a good thing we aren't all screaming for the Jab or this guy would be ranking as the worst PM in history. Remember a while back when they threw $2mm of our scant finances at some WHO representatives so that we would be at the front of the cue when the vax rolled out......You seriously can't make this stuff up. These donkey politicains are going to be telling us we can't go to the supermarket because we don't have our fourth variant booster shot ......... whilst they still haven't provided half the population with their first dose.....
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
Im beginning to think they never had a plan to populate the entire adult population. It seems like it was an effort to do just enough for an August election. This was the silliest thing Ive ever seen. A big entourage dashing to the airport to get a photo with one box that cant even service people needing 2nd doses
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 8 months ago
"vaccinate" not "populate"
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