The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

Health Minister Renward Wells has stressed that whichever COVID-19 vaccine the government chooses to implement will be a safe and effective one.

He was responding to questions from the media yesterday concerning former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands’ recommendations that The Bahamas should conduct its own independent investigations into new COVID vaccines before widely distributing them to the public.

Dr Sands also said there should be a comprehensive look at the vaccines now coming into use.

Asked to respond to Dr Sands’ recommendations yesterday, Mr Wells said the Ministry of Health’s record of vaccination distribution speaks for itself, adding the agency has been successful in vaccinating the public against other infectious diseases in the past.

Noting The Bahamas has “one of the highest” vaccination rates in the world, Mr Wells also said the public can be assured the government will do its due diligence to secure the most suitable and effective vaccine for the country.

“Obviously, any vaccine The Bahamas chooses is going to be one we feel offers the most effective, safe deployment and benefit for the Bahamian people,” he told reporters ahead of yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

“We, in this country, in the Ministry of Health have been in the business of securing the health of the Bahamian people long before independence and I think the record of the Ministry of Health in regards to vaccine be they the polio, measles, chicken pox, measle mumps, rubella, the flu vaccine, you would’ve seen the Ministry of Health would’ve done a fantastic job when it comes to the vaccination of the Bahamian people.

“As a matter of fact, we have one of the highest most effective vaccine rates not just in the Caribbean but in the world. We were above, I believe, 95 percent at one point in time and so the Bahamian people can be reassured that any vaccine decided on by the government of The Bahamas, we’re going to do our due diligence for the Bahamian people to bring them a safe, effective vaccine and again, it’s still going to be up to the Bahamian people if they’re going to take it.”

On Monday, the US began vaccinating its citizens against the COVID-19 threat, joining the likes of the United Kingdom which started its vaccinations last week.

It is not clear when The Bahamas will receive its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which the government has already made a $250,000 down payment towards. However, PAHO officials have already said the country can have access to the COVID-19 vaccinations between March and April of 2021.

This comes as the country continues to see a downward trend of new infections, with just eight cases recorded on Monday, despite recording double digit numbers last week.

Yesterday, Mr Wells addressed the uptick of cases recorded last week, noting a number of the infections were linked to a cargo vessel sailing in waters near Grand Bahama.

“We would’ve seen an increase of cases on the ninth and the tenth,” Mr Wells noted. “On the tenth, we had 38 cases. On the tenth, we had 23 cases. Of the 38 cases on the ninth, seven of those were from a freighter/ tanker that came into Grand Bahama with individuals who were not feeling well.

“They were swabbed and incidentally seven of them tested positive. It was a crew of 25 so surveillance went ahead and tested the entire crew on the tenth. Eight of those individuals ended up being positive.

“So, on the ninth, seven of the 38 was from a tanker. On the tenth, eight of the 23 were from a tanker and you would’ve seen over the weekend.”

He said health officials are keeping a close eye on the COVID-19 situation, especially as the country nears the holiday season with more relaxed restrictions.

He continued: “We’re monitoring it. We’re looking at it. We did expect a slight uptick in the numbers from folks who would’ve gone away from Thanksgiving because Bahamians loved to shop and in Florida especially on Black Friday, there would’ve been maybe perhaps a small uptick.

“We did see a little bit of that (last week) but the numbers are trending in the direction we expect it to go now. We are monitoring and looking after the Christmas holidays when all of us get together with our families and we’re supping together and we’re connecting that there may be an uptick in the numbers but the Ministry of Health as I said, we have our surveillance team that was at Melia.

“They’ve now moved from Melia to a more secure building where we are doing the business of the Bahamian people and seeking to ensure that we have the requisite surveillance team, contact tracing and all of the equipment in place for any eventual surge. But we’re hoping and praying that we do not see that.”

As of Monday, The Bahamas recorded a total of 7,698 COVID-19 cases, with 1,394 of those still active. There have also been 164 confirmed deaths while 24 remain under investigation.