A bottle of the AstraZeneca vaccine is displayed in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT
tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net
AS health officials in the country look towards achieving herd immunity, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has announced The Bahamas will receive 33,600 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine before the end of this month.
The Prime Minister made the statement while officially opening the Briland Club Marina in Harbour Island on Friday.
As he maintained that The Bahamas is “coming back” as a major tourist destination, he touted the new property as “one of the most beautiful marinas in the Caribbean.”
Dr Minnis congratulated residents of Harbour Island and Eleuthera who he said came out in large numbers to take the COVID-19 vaccine throughout the recent rollout on the Family Islands.
“We are very pleased with the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine across the Family Islands,” he said. “It exceeded our expectations. We are expecting a third tranche of 33,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the COVAX Facility before the end of this month.
“The Bahamas has been informed that we will receive these vaccines on the 26 July 2021. We engaged in an exchange with Antigua and Barbuda for an additional 5,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. We have already collected the vaccines.
“We will continue to administer the vaccine for as long as we can until we receive additional supplies. We have also received an offer, through the CARICOM health agency (CARPHA), from the United States for additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines.”
The Prime Minister said this process is underway, but the government has not yet received a specific timeline for delivery. The vaccines, he said, are the way to end this terrible pandemic.
“Vaccines are the way to ensure we limit future outbreaks,” Dr Minnis said. “They are the way to ensure more visitors come to our shores in order to fully revive our economy. Tourists will increasingly want to visit places that have highly vaccinated populations in order to ensure their safety and that of their children.”
There were 73 new cases of COVID-19 in The Bahamas on July 1. This brought the total number of cases up to 12,808. There are currently 50 people in hospital with the COVID-19 virus and to date 246 associated deaths have been recorded.
Even though The Bahamas is enjoying the recent influx of tourists to its shores, the Pan American Health Organization has cautioned regional citizens about travelling during the third wave of the pandemic, especially to countries that have a spike in infections.
PAHO has reported 1.1 million new cases of COVID-19 in the region along with 30,000 new COVID-related deaths over a one-week period. This brings the regional total case count to more than 72 million and deaths to nearly 1.9 million.
PAHO also reports that it has no evidence of the deadly Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus, which is now prevalent in India, the United States and the United Kingdom, being found here in The Bahamas.
Health officials are hoping for at least 200,000 Bahamians to receive both doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in order for the country to achieve herd immunity. The UN estimates the Bahamas’ population at 396,913 as of July 1, 2021.
Comments
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
Bali Island, Indonesia. 71% vaccinated in this tourist hub but now on total lockdown due to massive Covid infections.
https://www.rt.com/news/528281-indonesi…
DWW 3 years, 5 months ago
Russian bot strikes again. how are you still allowed to post here? insanity can't be fixed i guess.
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
Haven't you heard that The Tribune Swears To The Dogma Of No Man.
whogothere 3 years, 5 months ago
Yes the promise of salvation is always greater than the reality
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
https://sputniknews.com/us/202107031083…
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
https://www.rt.com/russia/528296-ukrain…
Vaccine hesitation is safer that risk of life and cases cases cases cases cases.
tribanon 3 years, 5 months ago
Compliments of the CCP controlled WHO/PAHO.
DWW 3 years, 5 months ago
Um, i think you may have that backward? China does not participate in WHO, and PA stands for Pan American... Dude I guess you just trying to get attention like the russian guy above
tribanon 3 years, 5 months ago
You're dead wrong, and what's even worse than that is that you know you're dead wrong.
And by the way, the PAHO's arrangements with the WHO are such that the PAHO is effectively nothing but an arm or subsidiary of the WHO.
SP 3 years, 5 months ago
"Indonesia is on the verge of a coronavirus “catastrophe,” the Red Cross has warned, as the country endures a rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19 that has already overwhelmed its hospitals.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) sounded the alarm over the situation on Tuesday, warning that the South Asian nation is heading into a crisis.
“Every day we are seeing this Delta variant driving Indonesia closer to the edge of a Covid-19 catastrophe,” Jan Gelfand, the head of the Indonesian IFRC delegation, said in a statement.
TalRussell 3 years, 5 months ago
Suggest pay less attention to the boastful tourism rebonds news and focus attention to the noise on streets that learns that their government has resorted borrowed vaccine does from Peter to vaccinated Mary. is when governance goes unhealthy wrong. Yes, that is a beggar nation's, lowest reach?
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
Britain hopes to declare catching Covid up to personal responsibility. We have to wait and see.
https://www.rt.com/uk/528348-lockdown-d…
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
https://sputniknews.com/world/202107041…
Vaccine resistant Covid. So just wear your masks. The other option is stay at home for five years until it cannot find a living host.
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
https://www.rt.com/news/528366-israel-v…
Hope The Bahamas don't get the stale rejected vaccines. These boys capable of all conceivable impossible madness and deals upon their crab population, allowing only their Sand money king crabs contracts to make billions while regular blk bush crabs eat from the cesspit to pay back 10billion dollers national debt but OK for king crabs to steal from public treasuery and NIB purse. We are not stupid though bush crabs among the crab syndrome.
John 3 years, 5 months ago
Whilst the number of new cases and COVID-19 deaths in the US are at the lowest levels since March 2020, recent spikes in this country’s new cases has put numbers to March 2021 numbers. Some of these spikes can be directly linked to the reopening of the tourist market and increasing travel of Bahamians abroad. How many persons does an average tourist come in contact with on say a three day stay or weeks vacation in the country? Is it really possible to do contact tracing from the person arrives at a port of entry to the time he/she leaves? It is easier to monitor a person returning from abroad who must present a negative Covid test. The confusion comes in, however, when vaccinated people do not have to show negative Covid tests. What many countries are experiencing is vaccinated persons who are not tested or not required to wear masks become super spreaders among the rest of the population because they show no outward symptoms of the virus. So they can go around for weeks spreading the disease. And hence the CDC has revised its requirements for vaccinated persons and is not recommending indoor dining and other similar activities for anyone. Here there were several instances of people overwhelming authorities at funerals and storming the gates of graveyards. And because of the political fallout, authorities are not monitoring church services to ensure they are adhering to safety protocols in reference to how many people can attend a service. So what comes after the Delta strain? Whilst the US and many countries are showing numbers at their lowest since the pandemic began, there is an upturn in the numbers of cases worldwide. And most likely this is countries that relaxed its restrictions for vaccinated people or experiencing the Delta strain or, like The Bahamas, seeing increased travel both in and out the country. Will the Delta strain create another wave?
carltonr61 3 years, 5 months ago
Digital groups have already seen the money they could make with QR code on cell phones with banks, foodstore and church entrances guarded against the unvaccinated. But science is showing that more and more vaccinated are becoming the possible super spreader. These app people will force gov to declare lockdown then only the proven vaccinated will be allowed out.
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