Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville. Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune staff
By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Tribune Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
TWENTY thousand doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will expire by the end of the year, forcing the government “to do all in its power” to encourage uptake of the jab including offering incentives, according to Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville.
While he did not reveal yesterday what these incentives would be, the minister admitted appetite for the J&J brand waned because more people preferred the Pfizer vaccine.
Dr Darville further revealed there was a possibility of new protocols over the approaching holidays, adding his ministry was also preparing to increase its public education campaign to encourage acceptance of the vaccine.
“We’re doing a lot to increase vaccine intake,” the minister said ahead of yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.
“We are now moving very swiftly to increase the public educational programme and we are definitely going to see in the Christmas season the possibility of new protocols.
“Vaccines we believe are definitely essential for us to be able to fight any particular strain that would come in the country.
“As far as I know, Pfizer is not expiring at the end of the year,” Dr Darville also said.
“We have about 20,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson that the expiration date appears to be at the end of this year simply because when the Pfizer vaccine was introduced the appetite for the Johnson & Johnson declined and we are doing all in our power now to ensure that we do our best to get those jabs in people’s arms and we’re going to try our best over the next month to do the best we can.”
This comes as the country is on heightened alert for the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Realising the potential severity of the new strain, Dr Darville said officials continue to look into sourcing doses for children aged five to 11.
“The child approved Pfizer vaccines we’re looking into it. Our vaccination committee is on the move. We’re looking to see whether or not we can get them in the country as soon as possible.
“I cannot give a specific date. As you are aware this vaccine just recently came out but The Bahamas is definitely doing all in our power to acquire the vaccine.”
Despite the challenges, the Ministry of Health continues to have its sights set on a goal of 200,000 fully vaccinated citizens by year’s end, Dr Darville said.
“We’re pushing very hard right now. My last report that came to me yesterday (Monday was) that there are some 42 percent of the Bahamian population that is fully vaccinated.”
On Sunday, health officials said 146,441 people had been fully vaccinated as of November 27.
“We are going to improve our public relations effort to try to convince Bahamians who have vaccination hesitancy that your best bet to protect yourself, your family and to prevent death and possibly hospitalisation is to be vaccinated and that is our message going out and I encourage the media to join me to push that message.
“With that being said we all know that vaccination in The Bahamas is completely voluntary but we are encouraging Bahamians everywhere, and I do, to get vaccinated because that is the safety tool at this particular time.”
Regarding booster shots, Dr Darville said immunocompromised people will soon be able to get a third jab.
However, he said there was some push back to the concept.
“We have made it clear that our first step for the third dose would be for the immunocompromised. That is about to be rolled out and we have been following the Centres for Disease Control. We have been following what has been happening in the UK and the United States and other parts of the world where the booster shots are available.
“We are discussing it. We have some resistance because not everyone is of the same view.
“Some people believe that the vaccine is very precious and the first option should be to the individual who has never been vaccinated, but with that being said and we begin to look at what’s happening around the world we realize that the booster shot is a very important element and The Bahamas is looking at it as we speak.”
Under the previous Minnis administration, a National Vaccine Consultative Committee was appointed to steer the acquisition of vaccines as well as organising a programme to ensure the population was inoculated.
With the new Davis administration rolling out its own plans, Dr Darville confirmed that the committee chaired by Dr Merceline Dahl Regis and Ed Fields is in its final days.
He said: “When I became minister, I had the opportunity to speak with everyone on the vaccination committee and some people have expressed interest, but they decided to stay on for the transition.
“We really respect that. We are still in discussion and some people feel that they have made their contribution and we need to look to find other people who’ll step up to the plate to be a part of the vaccination committee.
“With that being said we have a good working relationship. Everyone is prepared to hold on until the transition is complete and we respect that and we thank them for their contributions.”
The Ministry of Health recorded 18 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the confirmed virus toll to 22,791 since the start of the pandemic. Ten new cases were recorded on Sunday.
Comments
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
Darville obviously hasn't received the memo sent by voters around the world to scaremongering elitist politicians telling them that the over-cooked Communist China Virus pandemic gig is one-and-done.
truetruebahamian 2 years, 11 months ago
Tribanon must be related to Dopey of 7 Dwarfs fame. Get the vaccine!
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
Do sheep ever sleep? LOL
jamesg30 2 years, 11 months ago
No, unfortunately you missed the memo from any countries that are going to help us by donating free vaccines in the future that there will be no more. simpletons like you who are clearly not vaccinated, will all allow for the place where the next variants will be bread from. In your viral laden pool when you catch the latest one or your first one or your second one. You are so much smarter than the scientists clearly, and you will have such a higher viral load that your body will be a great place for all the varieties of Covid to play so they can come up with the one that eventually does kill us all perhaps. All because your afraid of a little shot, or a chip implanted, or your just lazy. No, the memo is we are idiots for not putting this vaccine to good use and not getting vaccinated.
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
I have natural immunity which is better than the immunity you will ever get through any of these limited duration experimental vaccines whose long term effects are still very much unknown.
An increasing number of studies are showing that only the most vulnerable because of their very advanced age, high obesity index or one or more existing health ailments seriously compromising their immune system should ever have been jabbed with these experimental mRNA vaccines.
And to think the unnecessarily vaccinated are the principal source of new mutations of the original Communist China Virus, not to mention being major spreaders themselves if they elect to join the Vaccine Dependent Global Society rather than develope nnaturally immediately.
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
last sentence should read, ".......rather than develop natural immunity."
jamesg30 2 years, 11 months ago
then you caught Covid already and lived. Good for you. Not everyone is so lucky. If you are saying you have natural immunity another way then I would suggest you are wrong. yes, mRNA is new. Yes, I did not like the idea of taking it, however I am older, somewhat overweight and I decided I was at a high enough risk to take my chances with a vaccine versus a known deadly virus. It is all about balancing risks and rewards. Not easy.
whogothere 2 years, 11 months ago
It's over - vaccine facade has been seen through. Vaccination does very little to stop COVID in the medium to long term. Omicron poses the impossible messaging question to medical professionals - boost more because the omicron evades vaccines or boost because vaccines don't efficacy doesn't last... Either way you look at Vaccination is not the answer...anyone with half brain can smell the BS... Meanwhile natural immunity continues to be the only solid protection against future variants and we're not even tracking it because....well I guess because it's free..
Bobsyeruncle 2 years, 11 months ago
Would love to see your data on 'natural immunity being the only solid protection'. Not saying it couldn't be true, just wondering how you can back up your statement at this time.
Oh, and as of today there is still no word in the scientific or real world communities on the effectiveness of the vaccines against Omicron strain..
I wouldn't be surprised to see someone on here posting in the next 48 hrs about how good all those other treatments (HCQ, IVM, RMSDVR etc) are against Omicron.
stillwaters 2 years, 11 months ago
Every Bahamian who intended to take the vaccine has done so by now. The others will not....period. So, go get some of the other tools from your toolkit and find alternate methods of keeping your citizens safe. Or, implement the ten point plan you campaigned on.
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
That last sentence of yours sure ain't gonna happen unless Davis is as politically tone-deaf and stupid as Minnis. LMAO
avidreader 2 years, 11 months ago
It will be over soon. Plenty of money being made. Lots of politicians enjoying undreampt of authority. Lots of people resisting. Soon there will be something else to use to distract the general public.
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
You mean like COVID-666?
We must try not give Xi Jinping, the globalist oligarch billionaires, their big pharma friends and bio-tech partners, and their deep state actors any ideas about developing a truly effective vaccine exclusively for themselves before they unleash COVID-666 on the rest of us.
We already know the likes of the very sinister and evil Bill Gates are determined one way or another to get the world's population down from about 8 billion people today to not more than 5 billion people before the end of this decade as means of addressing, among other things, climate change and limited food and water resources. Truly frightening to say the least!
sheeprunner12 2 years, 11 months ago
Stillwaters may have a point. If only 40% of Bahamians are willing to be vaccinated, that says much about the Bahamian public's view on vaccines in general.
The FNM/Minnis support for vaccination during the 2021 election may have led to the PLP victory. That is why the PLP must tread carefully on this vaccination issue. Brave chokes everytime he uses the word "vaccine".
M0J0 2 years, 11 months ago
vaccine has dropped off greatly. The facts are there, the vax was advertised as the solution but now its being said oh we got it wrong its not as effective as we thought. Each man has their own choice to make on it, so don't dam those whom are not comfortable, get yours and do well. Its all a money scheme and once the quota has been achieved you shall hear oh its the same as a common cold.
GodSpeed 2 years, 11 months ago
The bioweapon "vaccines" are useless against the new super covid anyway.
GodSpeed 2 years, 11 months ago
💉💉💉
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
Ouch, ouch, ouch!!!!
TalRussell 2 years, 11 months ago
It would be on the other side of unconscionable, if the Davis cabinet is continuing the policy of blocking the free access of vaccines to persons the government classifies as illegals and undocumented,...whilst warehousing a stack of 20.000 Johnson and Johnson doses vaccines set to expire by December 31. 2021. not be jabbed to save even more lives.
Such continued unchristian policy is to be found be sitting as small around the cabinet table as sitting small as the now big mouths reds so proudly at the time, sat around the cabinet table and everything else red like this and that and risk being exposed as governing no different than did the reds, ― Yes?
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
https://www.rt.com/news/541886-china-an…
China found a way to immobilize covid cheaply
realfreethinker 2 years, 11 months ago
Does Doc D have any definitive answers to give? He is never sure of anything. Who is the real minister of health?
tribanon 2 years, 11 months ago
Minnis. LOL
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
Guess Sands did not give Darville the new Sciece Dara from world respected Lancet Scientific Journal. https://www.rt.com/news/541900-mass-vac…
Proguing 2 years, 11 months ago
Can't we donate the J&J to Haiti?
ted4bz 2 years, 11 months ago
All this corruption, lies, making enemies out of friends and jabbing the population with toxic and contaminated materials will go on and on as long as the deep state hold governments hostage or for hire, and yet we expect this and much more. Regardless to how long they run on and on with all this nonsense, those of us with sense remain unfettered by the media propagations of the political and industrial complex vaccine tarradiddle.
TalRussell 2 years, 11 months ago
@ComradeProguing, Haiti's government announced in October 2021, that “Hundreds of thousands” of doses expiring vaccines will be shipped back to COVAX.
But a mere handful of Haiti's 12 million popoulous are fully vaccinated.
Haiti only received its first shipment of vaccine doses, after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Not that we don't have our own jabbin' issues. What is the true number of we UK Colony's popoulaces, has been fully vaccinated by government,...maybe 29% ― Yet we talkin' about allowing 20,000 doses getting ready to be rendered worthless, ― Yes?
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
I wonder how tribanon is dealing with the facts that he was correct from get go February 2020 into March shutdown. All the hell the world went through for BS. Vaccines simply are not vaccines. And a slew of other facts. Sorry for the hyped vaccinated.
John 2 years, 11 months ago
So they claim the first case of the Omnicon virus has hit the United States. A man who recently travelled from South Africa to California tested positive for the virus. He was fully vaccinated and only showed mild symptoms of the disease. BUT A DOCTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA says she doesn’t see what all the hype about the ‘new’ Omnicon strain is about. NO ONE in South Africa is seriously ill with the strain and NO ONE is hospitalized. OK THEN, the hype is about the VACCINES! The ultimate in fear mongering. Dr Fauci went as far to say, ‘ It’s not a new strain, it’s actually a brand new virus.’ South Africa is only 30 percent vaccinated. No one is seriously ill, no one is hospitalized and no one has died from Omnicon. The more pressure they place on the public to take vaccines, the greater the resistance will become. Especially after viral experts and saying the vaccines are being misused. They claim that there should never have been an effort to vaccinate everyone. And persons who got the virus and fully recovered should not be vaccinated. But persons in the US are being terminated from their jobs for not getting the vaccines,
FreeportFreddy 2 years, 11 months ago
I only have one comment to all of you antivax tards:
https://www.reddit.com/r/HermanCainAwar…
DWW 2 years, 11 months ago
Wow, we really need to get these expert commenters here real jobs instructing all of us on everything. I never knew we had so many exceptionally talented youtube doctors in the bahamas. why bother with 14 years of school and $300,000 fees when one could just learn from triben, jahn, stihlton, russian carlton, godcomplex, tred and aprilfooler, they are the real experts lol!
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
Obviously you got a F.
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