PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has again appealed for Bahamians to get vaccinated against COVID-19, saying it is the only way to end this pandemic.
Dr Minnis made the comments during the country’s virtual Independence Day celebration, which was broadcast on Friday. To date, the Bahamas has administered 97,992 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Health officials said 60,303 people have received their first dose of the vaccine, while 37,689 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
In a nationally televised address on Friday, Dr Minnis noted vaccinations are the key to defeating the pandemic and again urged Bahamians to do their part.
Dr Minnis also said COVID-19 vaccinations have proven to be effective against the new variants and can also limit potential virus outbreaks.
“We must continue to get vaccinated. The vaccines are the way to end this terrible pandemic,” Dr Minnis said. “The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily. The new Delta variant is becoming the dominant strain. It may be the most infectious version of the virus to date.
“Fortunately, the vaccines available to us have proven effective in protecting against this variant and other strains, once individuals are fully vaccinated. Vaccines are the way to ensure we limit future outbreaks. They are the way to ensure more visitors come to our shores in order to help revive our economy, and boost jobs and opportunity.
“Tourists will increasingly want to visit places that have highly vaccinated populations, in order to ensure their safety. Let us end this pandemic in the Bahamas by coming forward in large numbers to take the life-saving vaccines. Let us do this, so we can all get back to more normal times as quickly as possible.”
However, his plea comes amid concerns about low vaccine supply in the country. To date, The Bahamas has received 67,200 of vaccine doses from the World Health Organization’s COVAX Facility, with the remaining 33, 600 doses expected to be delivered at the end of this month.
In March, 20,000 doses were donated by the Indian government.
Due to limited vaccine supply, the Minnis administration has had to seek help from neighbouring countries in recent weeks to acquire more vaccines until the next batch from the World Health Organization-led programme arrives.
Earlier this month, Dr Minnis told Bahamians his administration had collected 5,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from Antigua and Barbuda.
Last week, Health Minister Renward Wells said similar discussions were being held with officials in St Vincent and Grenadines for the acquisition of 20,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
He added that officials are also in negotiations to source different COVID-19 vaccine brands into the country.
“We’re also on two different tracts to receiving Pfizer, one through CARPHA, the Caribbean region because the prime minister and his other Caribbean colleagues have been in direct negotiations with the United States and the US will be donating vaccines through the region to CARICOM and we’re looking forward to those being Pfizer,” Mr Wells told reporters at the time.
It is not clear how many vaccine doses will be donated by the US.
However, sources told The Tribune the US donated vaccines are expected to be here by the end of the month.
Comments
TalRussell 2 years, 10 months ago
'Tis repents unsettling dramatic revelation points signs of Jesus' return gettin' nearer we1200 Out Islands, Cays, Inlets, and rocks** yes?
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
Israel vaccinated and is back in pandemic.
whogothere 2 years, 10 months ago
Let’s not forget India and it’s 90% case drop...deaths per million minimal and low vaccination rates..antibodies are sweet and last longer..
https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/...">https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/...
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/sh...">https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/sh...
I think our pm confusing the metrics - pandemics don’t end we people get jabbed..this is a annual cycle at this point with peaks and troughs and as much as he’s wishes he can control he can’t even with vaccines..seasonality, viral evolution, T cell immunity, antibodies..vaccines work so well Pfizer is insisting we all need third jabs after 6 months! There literal prescription drugs that are taken less frequently then that...
https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/...">https://ourworldindata.org/explorers/...
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 10 months ago
"Tourists will increasingly want to visit places that have highly vaccinated populations, in order to ensure their safety."
lol. we have to get vaccinated to ensure the TOURISTS are safe
TalRussell 2 years, 10 months ago
Remember when Thee Mr. Minnis was using his doctoring as a reminder for how lucky was the PopoulacesGeneral to has a medical doctor in charge of how best to be responding COVID?
And then in rage jealousy, em's temper once again flared up, resulting in the sudden firing of the plenty more qualified medical doctor crown minister to be replaced with that JA Renward, yes?
pileit 2 years, 10 months ago
stop defiling this newspaper page with your babbling man. bring some sense or stay home.
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
Wells gone. Too bad if he has bills. If one of my grandkids are forced vaccinated and something happens I will forgive him. Hope all Bahamians want to go to heaven like me.
Economist 2 years, 10 months ago
"Israel vaccinated and is back in pandemic."
Please look at the rate of infections before and after the vaccination process.
17th January, 2021 104,673 tests; 8583 positive or 8.2% 11th July 51,406 tests; 463 positive or 0.9%
The two shots are supposed to reduce the possibility of someone getting the virus by 85%-90% so around 15% will get it. Of the 15% half will be asymtomatic and it is said 50% less likely to spread the virus.
The above numbers seem to say that is correct.
whogothere 2 years, 10 months ago
um.. this seems to say otherwise..
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/bi...">https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/bi...
Economist 2 years, 10 months ago
No it does not. It is a reflection of a percentage of increase of cases,
Therefore if you go up 853 cases in Jan 2021 you have gone up 10%. If you go up 853 cases on July 2021 you have gone up 200%.
The numbers are still down. The graph is not a reflection of the numbers.
whogothere 2 years, 10 months ago
You suggested looking at the "rate of infections" before and after the vaccination process. As you have noted this graph illustrates the rate of change in infections and therefore illustrates after the lull when Israel maxed out their vax program in around may - cases have now started to sharply increase. However you seem to be conflating test positivity with the rate of infection. Test positivity is simply the number of tests conducted at one time rather than relative increase or decrease of infections over a period of time. The protocols around testing will be more impactful to that number...The infection rate /Ro is defined as the net increase/decrease over a period of time divided by the population and is therefore a more accurate measure of the rate of infection (but testing policies do have a similar impact). Given that seasonal factors also come into play comparing January to July seems redundant, whereas comparing summer 2020 cases of pre-vaxed Israel to summer 2021 when 60+% were vaxed is more interesting.
June 30th 2020 Daily cases were around 500... As of Today daily cases are around the same...
If the this spike continues it would appear that the statement that "Israel vaccinated and is back in pandemic" holds water.. However it could be short spike that quickly subsides and also accompanied by very little death or hospitalisation - I certainly hope it's the former...
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
Now Wells speaking for big pharma and not science plausible deniability forked tongue. Kids maybe have to take Vax even though they are the least vulnerable. My fifteen grand children will not be going back to school held at vaccine gunpoint.
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
Dr Minnis needs to read.
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
Too many tricks. Life just a game of chance you could die and get sick with vaccine.
JokeyJack 2 years, 10 months ago
I wonder what the wrath of the people, globally, will be when the truth about this diabolical injustice is finally revealed?
pileit 2 years, 10 months ago
will be no wrath, the culling will have succeeded...and the global DNA database, fed by covid testing, completed
The_Oracle 2 years, 10 months ago
When your credibility is shot, no one listens. A vary basic premise.
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 10 months ago
Then make the vaccine mandatory for god sake. You are more than likely going to lose the next election so just do it. Make it mandatory effective immediately....
joeblow 2 years, 10 months ago
... it is unconstitutional and a violation of an individuals right to choose to impose a vaccine, especially an experimental vaccine on the general population! The government would be sued into bankruptcy when people begin to have side effects!
Even though this country's leader has authoritarian tendencies, thank God he and people who want to impose this shot on others are limited in their ability to do so by law and the public outrage that is sure to follow!
Each wave of infection of this man made virus is exponentially less deadly, well at least that 's what the science says!
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 10 months ago
Nothing experimental about the vaccine. Its approved in 44 countries. And I doubt any court would call ANOTHER vaccine mandate unconstitutional. Sorry bub. You lose.
Make it mandatory now!
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
You're so full of shiit that it's starting to ooze from your ears.
You know full well that these experimental vaccines were developed at warp speed using new unproven bio-technologies and therefore have not been subjected to the usual rigorous long-term studies to ascertain their possible side-effects for various categories of people. In fact, many bio-scientists readily admit that assuring no unintended consequences from these new types of mRNA vaccines would have required the kind of computations that only quantum computers 5 to 7 years from now could perform. Accordingly, both the FDA in the US, and the EMA in Europe, have authorized these experimental vaccines for emergency use only on a voluntary basis.
whogothere 2 years, 10 months ago
It has emergency use approval only..(which is only approved if no over treatment is available - you can understand why they stick their fingers in their ears if you starting saying things like vitamin D or Hydroxychloroquine) And RNA Vaccine technology never used.. therefore yes it's experimental..
https://www.breakthroughs.com/advanci...">https://www.breakthroughs.com/advanci...
joeblow 2 years, 10 months ago
@proudloudandfnm...
your opinions are profoundly ignorant, uninformed, dictatorial and myopic!
https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-bi...">https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-bi...
ohdrap4 2 years, 10 months ago
The camel back is hevy already dude.
whogothere 2 years, 10 months ago
Proud give it up dude...you chicken over a little sneeze - oh daddy Minnis please.. please save me from all the unvaccinated please oh pretty please ...
TalRussell 2 years, 10 months ago
Health Officials have sworn an oath under Health Act to issue/place/impose and enforce mandatory health requirements on businesses, and to brung about their enforcement, including amongst PopoulacesGeneral, and those who choose be visiting, yes?
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
The only way to end Minnis is fasting and prayers for 666 dats.
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
Someone mentioned camel. If you get its piss on your members that walk on this Earth along with the 33 arcs headed to heaven. Enoch has traveled to the last level beyond the gates of hell. There will always be one Genesis. ONE CREATOR of all matter, time and space along with THE Master of all endings.
TalRussell 2 years, 10 months ago
Should Thee Mr. Minnis done start frettin' over the unrest in Haiti, spilling over to his doorstep, and now the Cubans saying they've had enough of government and have taken to the streets demanding the government step-down,
Both the Cubans and Haitians are protesting against the elected and politically appointed and connected being too money well off, yes?
Topdude 2 years, 10 months ago
Thanks Mr. Prime Minister. Thanks for being in the right place, at the right time, with the right qualifications to lead us through this crisis. You have the correct academic training and experience as well as the moral fiber to make the right decision at this time in our nation’s history with this unprecedented crisis.
We have confidence in you. Thanks Sir. Thank you. God bless you.
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
OK - Without a doubt you've earned and fully deserve the National Award for being the biggest kiss-assa of Minnis's arse in our country today.
joeblow 2 years, 10 months ago
... how come there's no thumbs down button?
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
The only legacy of Minnis is VAT on poor Bahamians, number shop and Chinese bar at every lampole, private medical making billions from Covid, 10billion dollars extinct middle class now poor gat to pay back to foreigners, keeping Bahamians stupid that gambling is like Cocaine addiction for a doctor, keeping weed smokers as criminals and cementing his digital currency as official legal tender above our Sir Lyndon, USA dollar, and Queen Elizabeth of Commonwealth dollar.
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
The only places you don't need Vaccine QRcode passport is gambling and weed shop. Bars yes. Church yes. Wash house no. Government road yes. Children education yes. Plane and boat transport yes. Hospital when you feel bad yes. To die yes. To go to heaven. For their grandchildren to rule Bahamas yes. To be on any Fort or heritage ground yes.
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
https://www.rt.com/usa/529142-tenness...">https://www.rt.com/usa/529142-tenness...
Where is B Wilson. School board head in USA fired for allowing students in-school vaccination without parental consent. The all powerful Competant One has sole and all powers over all Our elected MPs and democracy as granted by the Royal UK Governor General. We are still slaves to Britain and our 48years of Independence is cesspool shit paper. Long live the DNA.
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
Time for our cosmopolitan dollar. Pre-Columbian Lucayans, Columbus, William Sayles, us Africans, Pirates, England, Spain, Lebanese and Greek spongers and fishermen, Sir Harry Oakes, Paps Symonette, Pindling, Cecil W Whitfield and us ever happy Junkanooers, rake and scrape don't give a s$it. Life goes on.
John 2 years, 10 months ago
Minnis is sounding more and more like a cheap prostitute on drugs with his vaccine drive. There are alternatives dude.
CoolCatBD 2 years, 10 months ago
What are the the alternatives? If say them out loud, people run and hide! why???
whogothere 2 years, 10 months ago
Exercise and healthy diet..?
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obes...">https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obes...
CoolCatBD 2 years, 10 months ago
Exercise and healthy diet is 1/3, the vaccines are another 1/3 and drugs you can not say their name out loud! , is the last 1/3.
whogothere 2 years, 10 months ago
T-cell cross immunity from other corona viruses and antibodies previous asymptomatic or mild infection. Thats at least another third.
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 10 months ago
We know the vaccines are safe, we know they work. We've had mandatory vaccines before so no constitutional issues. Just make it mandatory, ignore the moron keyboard warriors and just do it....
CoolCatBD 2 years, 10 months ago
If you are not vaccinated, can you still go to heaven?
CoolCatBD 2 years, 10 months ago
Why so many DR and Nurses have the "wait and see" attitude ?
JokeyJack 2 years, 10 months ago
If you are not vaccinated you cannot go to heaven. PCR tests are now being administered at the Pearly Gates. PCR, the "P" stands for Pearly.
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
@proudloudandfnm will be the first to tell you that St. Peter will no longer let a soul pass through the Pearly Gates without first producing their vaccine card.
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
To @proudloudandfnm: You're so full of shiit that it's starting to ooze from your ears.
You know full well that these experimental vaccines were developed at warp speed using new unproven bio-technologies and therefore have not been subjected to the usual rigorous long-term studies to ascertain their possible short and long-term side-effects for various categories of people. In fact, many bio-scientists readily admit that assuring no unintended consequences from these new types of mRNA vaccines would have required the kind of highly complex computations that only quantum computers 5 to 7 years from now could perform. Accordingly, both the FDA in the US, and the EMA in Europe, have authorized these experimental vaccines for emergency use only on a voluntary basis.
More and more unintended side-effects from these new experimental vaccines are being discovered with each passing day. But sadly the unholy alliance between big pharma, big government and the mainstream misinformation media are keeping a lid on lots of information that should be available to the public. Have you ever noticed that most of the TV commercials shown on the cable talk show networks like FOX, CNN, MSNBC, etc. relate to big pharma products? By virtue of these cable networks deriving most of their advertising revenue from big pharma, they suppress info from us that big pharma does not want us to see or hear.
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 10 months ago
Actually the vaccine research started a decade ago with the original SARS virus but since that virus had no asymptomatic spread it was eradicated thru quarantines but that research gave scientists the jump start needed to get this vaccine done. Do research instead of listening to tucker carlson little brain...
CoolCatBD 2 years, 10 months ago
Who is "tucker carlson" ? Why are 1/2 of DR and Nurses have a "wait and see" attitude to the vaccines?
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 10 months ago
Half hey? Why you making stuff up?
CoolCatBD 2 years, 10 months ago
A lot more then half of DR and Nurses are now vaccinated, source "proudloudandfnm". I stand corrected.
ohdrap4 2 years, 10 months ago
Tucker Carlson, by his own admission, is an entertainer.
He even appeared in DANCING WITH THE STARS.
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
So you just want us to believe these novel vaccines were not developed at warp speed and authorized by government health agencies for experimental use only by those persons volunteering to get jabbed. Clearly the big pharma companies like Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca must know more than you about the risks involved otherwise they would not have insisted on governments around the world granting them immunity from prosecution for all short and long-term side-effects that may be caused by these experimental vaccine products.
By the way, I think it's probably you who's watching too much cable TV and spending too much time surfing the internet. Do you feel any itchy hair growing on the bottom of your feet yet? lol
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 10 months ago
And also, for the record. The vaccines are safe. Stop with the stupid conspiracy theories already... Sheesh...
baclarke 2 years, 10 months ago
So are you saying the reports of those who are paralyzed or die from VITT are all "conspiracy theories"? If so, then you must be part of a conspiracy theory. Also, if you acknowledge that VITT is a possibility as the doctors already have, how do you define safe? If one of us or our teens (and soon to be children) die from VITT, is it still considered safe? Was it safe for them? You sir are an absolute moron.
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 10 months ago
Safe. Period. Full stop.
Idiot...
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
Simply not so and most people know that to be a fact.
In a rather perverse way, very pro-jab persons like you are actually ratcheting up all of the warranted concerns about these experimental vaccines.
TalRussell 2 years, 10 months ago
It's not difficult to follow the whereabouts of the governing REDS Vaccination Sites. There aren't any.
Considering today 99% of the vaccinated are effective at preventing you from deading from COVID, means so many of our COVID deaded, didn't have deaded, if only they had been given access to jabs vaccines, yes?
baclarke 2 years, 10 months ago
I understand those who believe that the current covid19 vaccines will help to end the current pandemic. I actually agree. However, I have a problem with those who are arguing that they are "safe". "Safe" is a relative term based on the person making the determination. It is a FACT that persons have died from the vaccines due to myocarditis and VITT. So for the morons who are saying that they are "safe" need to fact check themselves. Yes, we know the risks are extremely rare, but THEY STILL EXIST. Therefore, you CANNOT force an individual to take something that puts their life at risk. It MUST be a choice. And if you do have the kahunas to make it mandatory you should be held 100% liable. End of story. Personally, I will take the pfizer vaccine when we get it, but that is MY decision to make, and it shouldn't be mandatory.
proudloudandfnm 2 years, 10 months ago
3 billion vaccinated. Less than 100 might have died from a vaccine.
Ergo.
SAFE...
baclarke 2 years, 10 months ago
Your pride and ego continues to shine through your comments. Don't you get it? Even if the number of deaths are relatively low, the risk still remains. Also, we aren't even discussing those who did not die, but have been severely impacted due to VITT clotting whether its being fully/partially paralyzed or have some type of nerve damage. The point is, "SAFE" is relative. It wasn't safe for those 100+ individuals, and it isn't guaranteed to be safe for any of us. We count our blessings and are thankful if we aren't negatively impacted, but stop running on about being safe. If you want to at least sound smart, say "low risk". Other than that, you sound militant and egotistical just like the PM. That's why the greater % of citizens, who are unvaccinated at this point, are going to vote his militant egotistical self out of office. Also, for someone who loves to reference TRUMP and TRUMP supporters, you sound just like the guy.....
joeblow 2 years, 10 months ago
... what are your sources?
J&J just announced they have over 100 cases of people diagnosed with Guillain- Barre syndrome (that they know about) after vaccination. You push vaccines, but do you even know what the side effect profile is? Does the government even have a reliable database to record post vaccination reactions and side effects? Your inability to think is mystifying!
Twocent 2 years, 9 months ago
Do we have a competent public health data base which can track and trace not only those people who contract SARS COV2, have tested positive, and their contacts, but also those who have been vaccinated and contracted SARS COV2, along with the track and trace of those who contracted SARS COV2 from contact with people who were vaccinated, especially those who are asymptomatic? No? Then we are not executing this program scientifically. Yes? Then let’s be as transparent with this data as we were at the beginning of SARS COV 2 outbreak! We were being given informed data over a year ago, why now nothing but threats and treats?
Have they established a means by which if there is vaccine injury it is reportable and useable as data for further studies? Have they established a fund for the management and liability of long term chronic disease should it become an arising problem? Statistically the burden of chronic disease is already an exponential nightmare, add in some nefarious side-effects and increased deaths and this presently overburdened health care will be a joke.
Have they independently researched all the previous work done on the SARS and SARS COV2 and the related vaccine studies? Are they independently looking at the evidenced based science as it unfolds in our own nation?
We are a Petri dish of scientific evidence. SARS COV2 is the enemy, not the vaccinated or unvaccinated. When we consider that it is a war we cut off what the enemy needs for its survival, we don’t just make everyone armour-up in a one-size-fits-all armour sold by WalMart. This is supposed to be war against a virus, not against society or its people. A change in the narrative from public health awareness to social coercion will end badly.
So I ask…are our public health team and health experts scientifically doing all they can to research and understand this virus, with the full support of our government? Do you trust that they are doing this.?
In a pandemic we make sure they are, we don’t just sit back and hope they are.
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