The Tribune

HEALTH Minister Renward Wells said yesterday the government will have to decide whether stricter travel protocols are needed to limit the possibility of imported cases of new strains of COVID-19 from countries that pose the “greatest risk”.

However, he said a decision will only be made based on recommendations of health officials.

In response to the new strains, newly-sworn-in US President Joe Biden on Monday extended a travel ban against more than a dozen European countries, including the United Kingdom and Ireland. South Africa has also been added to the list of those banned entry to the US.

The Progressive Liberal Party has repeatedly called on the government to produce a mitigation plan against the new, more contagious strains, saying it needed to act now before it’s too late.

Asked whether the government is of the mind to take similar action as seen in the US, particularly against the UK, Mr Wells told reporters the matter will have to be discussed in Cabinet following talks with health officials.

“That’s something that needs to be discussed further,” said Mr Wells. “Obviously the Cabinet of The Bahamas would look at it and make the very best decision based on the recommendations from health.

“Health will make the recommendations as to what needs to take place in regards to which countries they believe pose the greatest risk to the Bahamian people and then the government of The Bahamas listens to those recommendations, those put forward by health and then we’re able to move forward with whatever direction we believe is in the best interest of the Bahamian people.”

According to health officials, the recruiting process for vaccinators in The Bahamas has already begun.

Those most vulnerable in the country, including medical workers and the elderly, are set to be among the first to receive the jab, which is expected to be available in the first quarter of this year.

However, it is still not clear which vaccine will be chosen for The Bahamas, with Mr Wells telling reporters discussions remain ongoing with several vaccine producers, including manufacturers in India.

He also maintained officials have already orchestrated a distribution plan ahead of the vaccine’s arrival.

He said: “As I would’ve said in the past, the government of The Bahamas is very diligently seeking to have a vaccine delivered in (the) country and we do have a plan to deploy that vaccine and we are following all three of the tracts.

“We’re going through the WHO. We’re speaking directly to manufacturers and we’re also speaking to countries. We’re working through the African union with CARICOM. CARICOM has worked out something with the African union and so we’re following all three of those tracts.

“There’s actually, now that I’ve been thinking about it, four tracts. We’ve been offered the Covaxin from India but also we’re looking at that and speaking to the regulatory regime in the Caribbean - the CRS - as to their particular views on the Covaxin vaccine.”

The Minnis administration has already made a $250,000 down payment towards the vaccine, with hopes to vaccinate at least 20 percent of the population in the first instance.

Asked yesterday for a timeline on when that percentage of the population is expected to be vaccinated once doses are in the country, the minister refrained from giving an answer.

“When we get it, we want to deploy it very, very quickly and we want the Bahamian people vaccinated in the shortest space of time. I’m not going to give a particular timeframe but obviously many hands make work light.

“That’s an old saying so as many folks that we can have that are a part of the whole vaccination process that’s giving the Bahamian people vaccines will reduce the amount of time it takes to actually deploy that vaccine in country.”

As it relates to public misconceptions and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, the health minister said the ministry is going to launch a public education campaign to better inform the Bahamian people.

“Folks have to educate themselves,” he said. “The ministry is going to educate them as well, put out the requisite information in the public sphere so the Bahamian people could rest assured that they could trust their government in being able to provide them with the very best, safest... vaccine.”