The Tribune

By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar yesterday said he was hopeful more Bahamians will now get vaccinated against COVID-19, following the US Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer vaccine.

Speaking to The Tribune, the minister said he believed the new approval yesterday would shore up uncertainty among many about the safety of the two-dose vaccine.

“I am encouraged and hopefully anyone who was deciding not to take the vaccine because it was ‘emergency use authorisation only’ now that it is cleared as a safe to use vaccine will tip even more people to take the vaccine as a way to fight this virus,” Mr D’Aguilar said.

“I am delighted to hear that because there were people wavering based on the approval so that is good.”

 He also explained the government’s reasoning for implementing new measures for cruise ship passengers.

 The new rule, which takes effect September 3 to November 1, states that cruise ships will not be allowed to enter a port in The Bahamas unless passengers aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Captain and crew members must also present a manifest to the port medical officer that discloses the vaccination status of all persons prior to arriving at the port with few exceptions.

 The policy, outlined in an emergency order issued last week, said exceptions to the vaccination requirement will be made in cases of emergencies, “in other exigent circumstances approved by the government” or if a passenger has a medical excuse for not being vaccinated.

 The new guideline also does not apply to “crew, contractors and any non-revenue passenger” under existing protocols previously agreed upon between the government and cruise lines.

 The minister said it was important to adjust protocols considering an uptick in cases in The Bahamas and all around the world.

 Mr D’Aguilar said: “This is part of the package that we rolled out first with the airlines. People who are vaccinated, we now require them to get a COVID test to enter the country given the huge increase in the number of COVID cases worldwide as a result of the Delta variant. So, we decided to reimpose that requirement.

 “You will remember that at the beginning of 2021 when the United States was experiencing about 260,000 cases a day. Then by May it had gone down to 11,000 and then the Delta variant came and now it’s up to 150,000 to 160,000 a day.

 “As this virus twists and turns, it is necessary that we adjust our health protocols accordingly,” he continued. “So, as we did to the airlines, we also decided on the cruise lines to ensure that every person over the age of 12 be vaccinated with very few exceptions.

 “In our minds that’s good for the cruise industry because that contributes to a lower number of cases or outbreaks. It’s good for business and it’s also good for Bahamians in the sense that now we know that everyone coming into the country on a cruise ship is vaccinated and the evidence and the science points to the more people are vaccinated it lessens the ability to spread and then obviously your ability to have to go to the hospital.

 “Anybody that is on a cruise ship and happens to get sick in The Bahamas is at the expense of the cruise line flown out of the country at their expense, so it never becomes a burden to the Bahamian people but by making this requirement that everyone’s vaccinated we think it’s good for everybody in that it limits and contributes to less outbreaks on the cruise ship.

 “As you are well aware, the more outbreaks on a cruise ship it is really bad for business. People hear about it and then they don’t want to go on the ships,” Mr D’Aguilar said.

 Pfizer-BioNTech is the first COVID-19 vaccine to get FDA approval.

It means the vaccine will now be marketed as “Comirnaty for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older,” the FDA said.

The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorisation (EUA), including for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in certain immuno-compromised individuals.