HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville in the House of Assembly. Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune staff
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said his ministry along with officials from the Pan American Health Organisation are concerned about vaccine hesitancy in the country, noting a drop in vaccination rates in recent weeks.
Dr Darville’s comments came after Marco City MP Michael Pintard raised alarm about the issue in the House of Assembly yesterday, while calling on the minister to explain the reasoning behind the weakening demand for vaccinations.
He also described the trend as concerning.
“The vaccination rate appears to be dropping,” Mr Pintard told MPs. “I’m uncertain and I’m sure the Minister of Health can clarify because I’m certainly interested in what accounts for the rate that Bahamians are now getting vaccinations.
“I believe we’ve fallen off if I’m not correct, somewhere around 1,000 or so a day, we’re down to probably 500. I’m not sure but the member of Tall Pines if it’s an issue if persons simply don’t have access to vaccines, I find that difficult to understand because we have and I’m advised on adequate supplies in country but could it be that the option is not a bigger as it ought to be, but it’s a worrisome trend and I’m hoping that it does not continue.
“Now I remember before the election, the government side, (who was) then opposition, was adamant that one of the things that was critical was testing, testing and testing and then of course, you supported the vaccination as well but very quietly,” he added.
Admitting that vaccination rates have slowed in the past few weeks, Dr Darville said officials have found vaccination centres are just not as effective as they once were, a situation that forced officials to become more creative.
In a bid to make vaccines more accessible, the minister said the government decided to introduce mobile vaccination units and pop up sites.
“The reality is that the member did speak about our vaccination programme and in one instance, he is absolutely correct,” Dr Darville told Parliament. “We, along with the Pan American Health Organisation, are very concerned with our numbers of vaccinations the last two or three weeks. We are beginning to see a fall and like any responsible government it is our responsibility to begin to explore all of the reasons why.
“One of the things we’ve noticed is that the larger centres, just reflective of centres across the globe, are not as effective at this stage now that we have passed 40 percent and it is our responsibility to go (to) the people in smaller different vaccination mobile units (in) different places to make life easier for individuals who want to be vaccinated.
“As we speak, the vaccination committee as well as my ministry is exploring all of the avenues. We realise that at 40 percent, like many other parts of the world, we are now approaching the time where we’re beginning to see some areas of vaccination hesitation.”
Yesterday, Mr Pintard said that based on the most recent data, it appeared the pace of vaccinations had been slowing since September.
However, Dr Darville replied: “That’s not correct... we realised that in coming to office, there were some partial delays in vaccines arriving in the country at the appropriate dates. I’ve made some utterances as it relates to why that happened and subsequently, we have adequate vaccines in the country as we speak and we are now vaccinating individuals in our Family Islands by way of our clinics. We’re exploring avenues on how to get the private healthcare facilities involved...”
Mr Pintard also asked if Cabinet ministers and government MPs have been mandated to take the vaccine, since the government was encouraging the public to get their shots. In response, Dr Darville said it was the government’s policy that vaccinations are not mandatory for anyone—however people are greatly encouraged to take them.
Yesterday, Free National Movement leader Dr Hubert Minnis contacted The Tribune, also raising concern about the declining vaccination rates. He questioned if some vaccines might go to waste through expiration since numbers were dwindling.
Dr Minnis said: “At this rate, will we utilise the amount of vaccines that we have gotten for the country? How many individuals must be vaccinated weekly in order to utilise the hundreds of thousands of vaccines that the FNM government had secured and will this rate result in vaccines not being utilised and the government placed in a position to throw away hard earned vaccines? And will the government kindly inform us as to the expiration dates of the vaccines? How many expire in November? How many expire in December?
“If they are not utilised, will they be discarded and thrown away?”
When contacted, Dr Darville said “the vaccines still have quite a bit of time left” before they expire, however he could not say exactly when they would not be fit for use.
The declining appetite for vaccinations comes at a time when local COVID infections and hospitalisations are declining in the country.
According to the latest data, 136,238 people in the country are fully vaccinated as of November 6. Meanwhile, 138,073 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
In a post released yesterday, the Ministry of Health said the Pfizer vaccine will be offered at several pop-up sites in New Providence over the weekend, including the South West Shopping Centre on Carmichael, the Mall of Marathon, Fusion Superplex and Arawak Cay.
Comments
carltonr61 2 years, 5 months ago
Bahamians at large got rid of Minnisitis Covitisis are are by far too well read and suffered enough vaccine tyranny as has most of the world. It remains intriguing that trillionair global elites in positions at the seats of power could project that bad viruses were coming on a computer game then visualize all wold storage, vaccine gateways to open while holding the world at fake vaccine gun point. Fake because it neither stops transmission according to computer game results, leaks new viruses causing medical doubt, gatewayed global money and material loans into the hands of five people and left whole nations and industries broke. Virus War profits has eclipsed war machine profits hungry now after Trump's No Wars success. It is hard to understand how MIC could be substituted then destroyed by computer brainchild using global virus wargame called pandemic.
bahamianson 2 years, 5 months ago
so vaccine drop off, let's have the Christmas carnival you spoke about yesterday. if vaccines are dropping , then Christmas should be tight. Russia was on an 11 day lock down last week. Is it going to be our turn early next year? Nonetheless, My view is the same as Florida. Stay open and make money. California 's rate of cases is doubled Florida. California closed and businesses were lost. Florida stayed open and was politically criticized. The criticizers were wrong, and that is the visible science.
tribanon 2 years, 5 months ago
Problem is, vaccine doses already nearing their expiry dates are the ones being dumped on (donated to) beggar nations like ours by the Communist Chinese Party controlled global and regional health organisations.
JokeyJack 2 years, 5 months ago
LOL. LOL. LOL. Tell Dr Fauci to make a more deadly virus next time. He missed the mark on this one.
jamesg30 2 years, 5 months ago
Classic. Leave it to our own people, not the Government this time, to be blamed for their ignorance and stupidity in not getting the vaccine. Our continued delusional conspiracy riddled feelings towards getting vaccinated will be the final nail in our already debt ridden and destroyed economy. We demand proof that visitors are vaccinated/ and or a PCR test to enter our country. What happens when visitors stop coming because we have a bunch of unvaccinated citizens and Covid has another surge? There going to say, "We have to be tested ($ and time) to visit your covid riddled paradise? Not to mention we are still the most expensive destination in the caribbean? Death nail.
tribanon 2 years, 5 months ago
Suggest you just stop all of your whining. Tourists galore keep piling into a fear-free Florida and many former residents of Blue States are making vaccination-free and mask-free Florida their new home.
whatsup 2 years, 5 months ago
Another God......different face but same foolishness. We better have Junkanoo this year. I voted for FREEDOM not this Fauci shit and greed
benniesun 2 years, 5 months ago
Pop-up sites in New Providence are an excellent idea. Those pop-up sites should target Lyford Cay, Albany, Old Fort Bay, and of course all shanty towns.
whatsup 2 years, 5 months ago
STOP BEING SHEEP BAHAMIANS
tribanon 2 years, 5 months ago
That's what I keep telling @sheeprunner12. LOL
ohdrap4 2 years, 5 months ago
WOW. It turns all that those who must shop on black friday are few and far between.
immigrant 2 years, 5 months ago
What did he expect to happen when he stopped giving any incentives for being vaccinated.
carltonr61 2 years, 5 months ago
Taiwan students getting heart problems PZR vaccine halted.
https://www.rt.com/news/540030-taiwan...">https://www.rt.com/news/540030-taiwan...
John 2 years, 5 months ago
So WAS THERE A SuRGE OF BAHAMIANS RUSHING TO GET VACCINATED BEFORE THE DROP OFF? YES, there was . Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas sales. Vaccines will protect thee in crowded stores, yes they will. People who planned to travel to the US after the ‘must be vaccinated,’ law came into effect? Yes there was. We’re there a large number of persons getting vaccinated before and during the election campaigning because they wanted to campaign or even took it to vote? Yes there was. And also a lot of people returning to work in the hotel, tourism or transportation industry. So now there’s vaccines fatigue and vaccine hesitancy. And as the numbers of vaccinated persons increases, the number of persons left to be vaccinated will decrease so the persons showing up to get vaccinated will decrease. So if Dr Darville doesn’t want the vaccines to expire and go to waste here’s two suggestions. One go offer the vaccines to the illegal immigrant population. Yes try to at least….for certain which will be met with hesitancy. Then start offering third doses to Bahamians still anxious to become Fauci’s little guinea piglets.
jamesg30 2 years, 5 months ago
Idiotic not to get a vaccine. I wish all you nut jobs well. You watch my prediction on tourism drop when the next major surge takes place in this country. Conspiracy riddled village idiots.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 5 months ago
The jury is out. We have no data to tell us anything definitive but it looks like our cycles last on average 4 months. Im asuming that means thats the length of time it takes for the virus to interact with 450,000 people and impact the impactable. Everyone else is none the wiser.
Since all of those cycles occurred before we were 80% vaccinated, 1 at 0% vaccinated and one at less than 20%, Id go out on a limb to say vaccinations had little to no impact on our recovery. Since all of the spikes happened immediately after ports were opened under lax protocols, Id go further on the limb to say our entry requirements and monitoring of the air and sea ports are far more important than vaccinations.
But again, no data, the limb might crack.
A couple of things in our favour. There's better understanding of COVID pathology and the medications required for treatment. Now the next strain may act differently but what Delta taught us was, data collection and analysis are key ingredients to a solution. Also you need doctors who understand pathology, titles dont matter, you need people who are "clear" thinkers and communicators, like Dr Chetty. So lets do a better job there. Start preparing AND practicing now
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 5 months ago
You might be chicken and egging it. The next spike will coincide with an exponential increase in travel. Winter is coming .... AND those who got their first shots in March should be coming to the end of their immunity annnytime now...so opportunity is there. If there's a spike people here and in the US will get jittery nothing to see there....
TalRussell 2 years, 5 months ago
Notice government now recommends that all of ― Youse with lil' childrens' under the age of 12 years, ― Should be vaccinated.
But the same rule. won't apply to the adult tourists and everyone else like this and that traveling along with them.
Nether will they children's have to be jabbed. ― And, somehow Is all supposedly goin' add up to ― Logically smart health sense, ― Yes?
Twocent 2 years, 5 months ago
Government, the health “experts” and some “normal” persons appear to have a severe case of math and data hesitancy, critical thinking hesitancy, allergic reactions to logic and an addiction to media spin, aiding in profiteering, and propaganda ! For all those who took OxyContin, thalidomide, surgical mesh, silicon implants, bextra, mercury amalgams, statins, vioxx, darvocet, ppa’s, and any other number of recalled or discontinued because of iatrogenic morbidity or death…bet they wish they had used hesitancy while the industry was avidly pushing and promoting its products ! In some cases it took decades to get those dangerous drugs of the market. For example, there were concerns about darvocet in 1978, it wasn’t until 2010 it was taken off the market. Remember Fen-fen? And accutane…eventually, after 13 million took it, it was withdrawn from the market for harmful side effects. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
Twocent 2 years, 5 months ago
Did I forget to mention….the withdrawn/recalled drugs cost their makers $$$$$$s in settlements and suits, while I would have mega HESITANCY to take something without there being liability, accountability, responsibility etc etc etc for the damage. For those who have already died, the voiceless, It’s my life, my body, my choice. Disrespect that and you discredit yourself.
Twocent 2 years, 5 months ago
Pfizer and its partner, Pharmacia presented findings from their study that Celebrex was "better in protecting the stomach from serious complications than other drugs."[54] This became Celebrex's main selling point. However, following federal investigations it was revealed that Pfizer and Pharmacia "only presented the results from the first six months of a year long study rather than the whole thing." These partial results were then published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.[54] In 2001, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released the full results of the Pfizer and Pharmacia study which showed that they had withheld crucial data.[54] By 2012, a federal judge unsealed "thousands of pages of internal documents and depositions" in a "long-running securities fraud case against Pfizer."[54] Copied from Wikipedia. Also check out its fraud in the Bextra misbranding. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justic...">https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justic... and just keep digging!
jamesg30 2 years, 5 months ago
Twocent, Impressive list of many drugs therapies that had minor to disastrous effects. You do recall that people were dying exponentially with Covid and there was not an end in sight before the vaccines were introduced. Yes hernias are uncomfortable, obesity is a variable for early death and other comorbidities, Celebrex is still prescribed today for specific pain reduction and without a vaccination for Covid and given a person's age, weight, sex, blood type, and other underlying medical conditions, death was a significant outcome. No one can catch your hernia, obesity, pain, silicone implants for mostly the enlargement of breasts..... this is a therapeudic to deal with a world wide pandemic. There is a distinction. Will we know the long term effects? No. But the options were not many and anti-parasite drugs, vitamin D, Vitamin C and crystals hanging from your neck were not going to provide you protection. You might get Covid and get little or no symptoms or you could die. That is a different choice to make then the products you listed that were anywhere from not effective to completely deadly disasters. Context of the illness/disease is important. A world pandemic overloading ICU units all over the world is different. Sorry if you don't agree.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 5 months ago
People were dying ..but was it the vaccine that made the change? I remember quite clearly a dramatic shift in the way patients were being treated that had zero to do with vaccines and deaths went down. Vaccines werent even created yet They stopped putting everyone on ventilators. In fact one group of independent doctors came out with a statement that they believed the astronomical deaths at the start of the pandemic was due to misuse of ventilators. The story of this pandemic is going to be about more than vaccines. The Bahamas could be the poster child
jamesg30 2 years, 5 months ago
COVID-19 continues to be a leading cause of death in the U.S. in September 2021 By Jared Ortaliza, Kendal Orgera, Krutika Amin Twitter, and Cynthia Cox Twitter KFF Briefs
Health & Wellbeing
COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death across most of 2020, but in December 2020 and early 2021, the illness surged and briefly became the number one leading cause of death in the U.S., far surpassing even cancer and heart disease deaths in those months. With the rapid uptake in vaccinations in the months when vaccines first became widely available, COVID-19 deaths fell sharply. COVID-19 dropped to the number 7 leading cause of death in the U.S. in July 2021. However, with the more infectious COVID-19 Delta variant, insufficient vaccination rates, and local and state governments easing up social distancing restrictions, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths increased again. Vaccination rates are particularly lagging for younger adults and people living in certain states. As of October 7, 2021, about 78% of adults (ages 18+) in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and over 50 million adults remain unvaccinated. This brief revisits where deaths from COVID-19 rank among leading causes of death in the U.S. We find that COVID-19 was the second leading cause of death in September 2021. We also find in September COVID-19 was the number 1 cause of death for people age 35-54 and among the top 7 leading causes of death for people in other age groups. We also estimate how many COVID-19 deaths were among unvaccinated adults and could have been prevented since June 2021 when safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines became widely available to all adults in the U.S. From June through September 2021, approximately 90,000 COVID-19 deaths among adults likely would have been prevented with vaccination. COVID-19 was the 2nd leading cause of death in the U.S. in September 2021 Looking at the most recent data available on deaths from COVID-19 and other causes, we estimate that COVID-19 was the number 2 leading cause of death in the U.S. in September 2021. Deaths from other causes represent the daily average deaths from January through June of this year. (Average daily deaths from accidents and suicides in the chart above are from 2020, as 2021 data are not yet available.) The number of daily deaths from COVID-19 had decreased remarkably from the once staggering 3,135 deaths per day in January 2021 but started increasing again, in August 2021, with the Delta variant wave. In September 2021, COVID-19 took the lives of 1,899 people per day on average. By comparison, heart disease, which is typically the number one cause of death in the U.S. each year, leads to the death of about 2,000 Americans per day, and cancer claims about 1,600 American lives per day, on average. As of October 2021, COVID-19 deaths are declin
jamesg30 2 years, 5 months ago
Death by ventilator is a rediculous theory. with the limited number of ventilators we had/have, there math does not add up. An over reaction of your immune system inflames you lung tissue, along with the potential of blood clots also. All from the Virus. Not from a life saving piece off equipment. People that are put on ventilators are very very sick to begin with. Might as well blame their deaths on the color of the room. Yes, it is true they have stopped being as aggressive with ventilators with instead using cheap steroids and hyper oxygen devices to deliver oxygen to the patients, but the fundamental issue is if you were vaccinated the likelihood of you being in the ICU is reduced dramatically. Plane simple truth. Get vaccinated and quit all of you listening to the crazies talking.
tribanon 2 years, 5 months ago
No one with any sense is listening to you. LMAO
jamesg30 2 years, 5 months ago
:)
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