MINISTER of Health Renward Wells receives his second shot of vaccine at the Baha Mar Convention Centre yesterday, administered by nurse Sharmon Frazer Calendar. Photo: Racardo Thomas
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH Minister Renward Wells estimates that 120,000 people need to be vaccinated in order for the nation to be “in good stead” in the fight against COVID-19.
However, Mr Wells yesterday could not say how close the nation is to herd immunity in order to have restrictions lifted. Speaking to reporters after getting his second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine at the Baha Mar resort, the minister gave a rough estimate of the portion of population that needs to be vaccinated.
He explained: “I would say right now we have a population of 382,000. I always round it up to about 400,000 persons. We have probably about 60,000 individuals who would’ve at least received their first dose and I think we’re probably around, well I’m not exactly sure where we are in terms of those who would’ve received their second dose, but I believe that given the fact that we’ve gone through the first and the second wave of COVID, we would’ve had some 11,000 Bahamians who would’ve tested positive in addition to those who have been vaccinated.”
“You know, you have a large portion who would’ve been exposed to the virus who was asymptotic, who showed no sign, so they would’ve not tested. I would say if we could vaccinate 120,000 of our population we would be in good stead. That’s just my number. I’m not the health expert but just sitting down and talking to other health experts the thinking is if we can get probably around 120,000 people vaccinated, we would be in good stead as a nation.”
On Sunday, health officials said 55,037 total doses had been administered: 46,378 people had received one dose of the vaccine while 8,659 people had been fully vaccinated up to that point.
Yesterday Mr Wells said that, according to the World Health Organization, if 80 percent of the population has been exposed to COVID, either by vaccination or exposure to the disease, they would consider that to be herd immunity.
Back in March, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis suggested Bahamians can look forward to Independence Day and Junkanoo celebrations possibly being held later this year depending on the country’s COVID-19 situation.
Meanwhile talks are continuing to procure additional vaccines.
Mr Wells said yesterday: “We are in discussions at the highest level for procurement of additional vaccines for the country.
“We have had discussions with the Chinese here in the country, we’ve (been) offered as a nation, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs would say, vaccines from China.”
Attorney General Carl Bethel blasted developed countries for hoarding COVID-19 vaccines during a debate in the Senate last month. The White House announced in April the US will share up to 60 million of its AstraZeneca vaccines with other countries. President Joe Biden pledged another 20 million vaccine doses in May.
The health minister could not say definitively if the US had indicated whether The Bahamas will be among the countries to receive the vaccines, but he did describe the discussions as “faithful and fruitful”.
“I can say that we are in discussions with the United States at the highest level. You would’ve seen the senator send a letter to the administration, the Biden administration, on behalf of The Bahamas. We do have a lot of lobbying individuals. Individuals we lobby and who lobby for and on our behalf. We have direct contacts with the State Department. As you know the Minister of Foreign Affairs speaks directly to those in the State Department.
“We have the US Embassy here, so we’ve made our case and I don’t foresee that if the United States was going to donate, deploy, give away vaccines that The Bahamas would not be a part of that. We are one of five countries that sits on the border of the United States. The US has Russia, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and The Bahamas. So, I do not see that the United States would not seek to deploy vaccines to us.”
As for the roll out of vaccines in the prison, he indicated the vaccine committee is debating the whole issue as to when they’re going to move into the facility.
Comments
ohdrap4 2 years, 11 months ago
The malapropist strikes again. Asymptotic, you mean, like this:? you should avoid words with more than 2 syllables
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 11 months ago
this man speaks dumbness with so much authority! Its a marvel to behold. How does he know a large percentage were asymptoTIC since they chose not to do widespread testing? Its likd the labour minister this morning saying we had 40% unemployment and now he "thinks" were probably around 20%. Where he get them numbers from?
ohdrap4 2 years, 11 months ago
the word is wrong, asymptotic is the exponential curve.
asymptomatic is that without symptoms.
an engineer should know the exponential curve.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 11 months ago
I know the word is wrong thats why I capitalized "TIC" and referenced the "testicular" head. My point was that Mr Wells speaks a lot of nonsense, misuses and incorrectly pronounces words and tries to give them credence by the amount of passion he infuses. If he would just go talk to Dr Sands... and stop quoting scripture to validate his pronouncements... thats all
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
https://www.rt.com/news/525451-israel...">https://www.rt.com/news/525451-israel...
Not in our son's please. Mr Wells.
DonAnthony 2 years, 11 months ago
Now is the time to require all unvaccinated civil servants to be tested weekly at their own expense. Slowly tighten the screws until we get to desired vaccination level.
JokeyJack 2 years, 11 months ago
The desired level might quickly drop if that rule were put in place.
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
@DonAnthony we already know you're all for an authoritarian police state in which the people have no civil rights and liberties. You should explore the possibility of living in a place like Communist China or North Korea where you might be a much happier person. lol
DonAnthony 2 years, 11 months ago
As usual you are wrong, I am very much a libertarian but individual rights are not omnipotent and in extreme circumstances must be restricted for the common good. If selfish people refuse to vaccinate then stay home instead of infecting innocent people. I have a right not to be infected by selfish COVID denyers like you.
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
Yeah, right......you're quite the libertarian aren't you....LMAO. And I suppose you believe Hitler gased all of those selfish Jews for the common good too. You really need to open your ears and listen to yourself.
ohdrap4 2 years, 11 months ago
he is as much a libertarian as megan and harry markle are environmentalists. LOL.
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 11 months ago
Well said DonAnthony! Here here!
milesair 2 years, 11 months ago
Your right about tribanon. He slept through school and peddles ignorance daily! He loves a fascist dictator wanna-be by the name of tRump!
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
ZZZZZzzzzzzz......
John 2 years, 11 months ago
You are an idiot. Many civil servants have been exposed to the virus for the past 26 months, plus. They have developed a natural immunity bro Covid-19. Now idiots, like you , who most likely been in lockdown and hiding during that same period, poke your nose out the window and try force untested vaccines on them. Such arrogance.
John 2 years, 11 months ago
*16 months
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
The science WHO preaches says 99.9%chance of surviving Covid but the vaccine while not perfect also could kill and harm and murder. So why the forced vaccination to prove if you will die or not cause you still get Covid after vaccination as reported in Monday Tribune the whole vaccinated Yankees team caught Covid.
JokeyJack 2 years, 11 months ago
I like the word "preaches" here. Science has indeed turned into a religion over the past year.
Kay21 2 years, 11 months ago
I didn't know that Russia shared a border with the US...#thingspoliticianssay
ohdrap4 2 years, 11 months ago
Forgive him, it is the asymptote.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 11 months ago
where did he pull that number from? the testicular's head?
ohdrap4 2 years, 11 months ago
you don't want to go there.
TalRussell 2 years, 11 months ago
Oh, nothing tells a look at how special is my elective office's story better than a smiley posing for the PopoulacesPurses official photographer's camera to capture the luxury of the state's healthcare's nurse at your ministerial beck and call's to administer your second shot of the vaccine, whilst Ninety-Percent** of the realm's PopoulacesCommener's, must settle go without even a single jab of the under the state's privy as to whom and when they will get jabs their vaccines.
Comrades, you just could've made up this captured-on film, yes?
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
Unrelated: Did anyone hear about the very recent huge drug bust in the Exumas? Has anyone seen or heard from George Smith recently?
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 11 months ago
huh???? the last time i heard from him he was on tv saying "why does it matter how you make your money?"
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID