During a national address yesterday, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley said that her government is aiming to have vaccines on demand for Barbadians.
She is adamant that Barbados needs to have access to multiple sources of vaccines to help protect the country, and also highlighted that this government, along with other CARICOM Heads of State, is continuing to fight for the equitable distribution of vaccines internationally.
“The reality is that you can get some, but the prices are greater than you would otherwise pay and as a result we made determinations, especially since the donation of the 100,000 doses donated by the government of India, that we are prepared to purchase outside of what we have already committed to receive from the COVAX Facility,” the PM said.
Barbados will be among some of the countries in the region to receive its batch of doses from the facility, with the island due to receive 33 600 of the expected 100 800 doses within the next few weeks. Mottley also announced that the government of Guyana donated 5 000 vaccine doses to Barbados, which arrived yesterday.
She stated that when the EOC met, along with the cabinet subcommittee and the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), it was decided that the island’s vaccination programme would continue to the tune of 38 600 doses, using some of the stock already on the island, which would then be replenished by those expected soon. The African Medical Supplies Platform and the possibility of two commercial procurements – for which the government is awaiting details – were also mentioned as possible sources of vaccination doses.
The PM acknowledged that the efforts of the government to vaccinate the country have gone well to date, and announced that as of 4 p.m yesterday, the total number of people inoculated against COVID-19 in Barbados was 50 621.
“That is by no means anything to be scoffed at; it is a major achievement for us as a nation and I want to thank Barbadians who have come out in their numbers. Yes, it was not always seamless, yes people had to wait long, but as I indicated before, these things will happen when things are in great demand,” she said .
She pointed out that people want the vaccine because they understand that it is important for more Barbadians to be vaccinated, if we are to turn the corner in achieving herd immunity and return to some semblance of life once the risk to the population is reduced. The PM added that vaccinations would continue for the over 70s, people between the ages of 18 and 69 with chronic NCDs and an expansion to more people on the frontline.
“I ask you, for those of you who are not yet vaccinated, please determine if you are going to take it, talk to your doctors if you need to, but believe you me, it is critical that we need to be able to go forward together. But in doing that, the best example is for you to protect yourself and in protecting yourself, you ensure that we are in a position to protect each other,” the prime minister stated. (AS)