A SHIPMENT of 134,550 Pfizer vaccine doses arrives at Lynden Pindling International Airport yesterday. Present to meet the shipment were Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Michael Darville; US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Usha Pitts; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Wellness Colin Higgs; Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan, and other officials. Photo: Patrick Hanna/BIS
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH officials plan to “ramp up” the country’s vaccination campaign with a goal to have about 50 percent of the population vaccinated by the end of the year, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said yesterday.
He spoke as the Ministry of Health and Wellness received a shipment of 134,550 doses of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday.
The shipment was facilitated by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
Dr Darville said the vaccines were a donation from the United States government.
“It’s very important for us because you know at one particular point we did have some challenges, now with this amount of vaccines there should be no setbacks in terms of our facilities being able to offer the first and second dose of the Pfizer vaccine.”
He said the vaccination campaign will be ramped up.
“Well as it stands right now, The Bahamas is at about 39 percent vaccinated and we want before the end of the year to get in excess about 45 to 50 percent (vaccinated). “We’re gonna work hard to achieve that goal and we’re definitely gonna ramp up our public education so that every Bahamian in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas will know the importance of being vaccinated.”
He said officials are uncertain if a fourth wave will impact The Bahamas, but they want to get the message out that vaccines save lives and reduce the chances of severe disease and hospitalisation.
The national vaccination committee has a goal of 200,000 fully vaccinated Bahamians by the end of the year.
As for the Family Islands, the minister noted: “Vaccines are being administered by the clinics, by our nurses, and other medical staff. We intend to make sure that we now have sufficient vaccines. They will actually be moved to the Family Islands so that the Family Island residents will have the choices that they need and be able to get vaccines as soon as possible.”
Officials will be offering vaccines at different locations. They will be at the Fish Fry at Arawak Cay on Saturday and Sunday between the hours of 2pm-8pm in the storytelling pavilion.
Vaccination is being offered at Town Centre Mall as well the Kendal G L Isaacs National Gymnasium on Saturday.
Officials said there is a partnership with the Mall at Marathon to utilise the facility all of next week from about Tuesday to Friday between the hours of 10am-5pm.
Officials are also looking at having vaccine locations at Fusion Superplex next Saturday and also the Southwest Plaza.
Meanwhile, the minister gave an update on free testing.
“For free testing, we have to do a variety of pilot projects,” Dr Darville said. “We’re gonna do some additional pilot testing in New Providence and in Grand Bahama and a few of our other Family Islands. We’re gonna get the data together and we’re gonna determine exactly how we’re going to use the data….The data will be very important because the data will help us to establish and put together a digital platform that would tag testing to contact tracing.”
This latest tranche of Pfizer vaccines supplements the 128,700 doses the United States delivered to The Bahamas on August 12.
The donation is part of the US’ commitment to fighting COVID-19 across the globe. The US has now delivered over 260,000 of the 379,000 vaccine doses the Biden administration pledged to The Bahamas, and has delivered a total of over 200 million doses worldwide.
In addition to the vaccines, in July the US — through the US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) — also donated four ultra-low temperature freezers to The Bahamas valued at over $100,000 required to store and distribute the Pfizer vaccine. USNORTHCOM also donated medical supplies — valued at $115,000 — needed to administer and handle Pfizer vaccine doses, including syringes, specialised tools and personal protective equipment for manipulating materials at sub-zero temperatures.
Comments
carltonr61 2 years, 12 months ago
What is the importance of being vaccinated when in five months after full vaccination you will need a booster according to POTUS. That the world has to resort to job, education with survival blackmail tools to enforce these shots is dangerous and tyrannical.
whogothere 2 years, 12 months ago
Please just appeal to those with underlying conditions (they're the ones that really need it - even if it lasts for six months) rather than gross amounts...it's quality of need rather than the quantity jabbed...the s*** is slowly coming out though about the implications for younger recipients and lack of integrity of the trials...
whistleblower engaged in Pfizer’s pivotal covid-19 vaccine trial. Her evidence raises serious questions about data integrity and regulatory oversight
https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n26…
Americans who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine were 3.5 times as likely to develop rare blood clots compared to the general population
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamain…
Bigrocks 2 years, 12 months ago
whogothere. your link is bad. here it is;
https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n26…
n2635 seems the link gets partially hidden
However this is a report of status 1 year ago and the FDA got a copy and read it. Much more data was submitted since then before the FDA finall approved the Pfizer VAC
whogothere 2 years, 12 months ago
Bigrocks - strange seems to be working find when I click through no matter... I don't see your report?
The issue is that these were the conditions under which data was gathered and the foundation on which emergency use was granted - for a huge volume doses...seemingly without proper oversight or data integrity...This is a problem - particularly with everything else overshadowing these vaccines development and mantra around mandates including the long term health implications and enigma of VAERS and reported side effects.
ted4bz 2 years, 12 months ago
Thank you very much. This is a game for law breakers and fact rejectors so let them play in it. The amount of people partaking in this emotional media, political and big tech trickery and experiment on their good health are just simply unconscious. They do not know they are all having their natural immunity turn off and made artificial, intentionally, and the major benefiter are the big-tech trillion-dollar groups and those serving the drug. Soon the people taking these drugs will not only need to live survive on the big-tech drugs, but they are helping to proliferate a new global medical condition on a massive scale. What’s worst they will need monthly supplies to stay alive, and yet less functional, at their expense at a high price (this is happening on a smaller scale as we speak) and they are tossing themselves into this meat grinder by ignoring everything that do not thrill them. So, they better enjoy the freebies as much as they are enjoying suckerfish to free ride, except this ride is headed to a place of suffering. Hats off to the smartest nation of people, THE HAITIAN PEOPLE, in HAITI. They are the strongest resistance on this planet, no other comes close!
Emilio26 2 years, 12 months ago
Well seeing that over 600 bahamians died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic isn't enough evidence for you that vaccines are needed to in order to slow down the spread of this deadly virus.
carltonr61 2 years, 12 months ago
188 March 2020 to March 2021. Vaccine rollout March 2021 then 700 deaths in 7 months. You go figure it out.
whogothere 2 years, 12 months ago
Emilio that’s over nearly two years dude…cancer and cardiovascular diseases still got COVID best though c19 is claiming the credit of these other afflictions…
tribanon 2 years, 12 months ago
All about population control and financial greed.
sheeprunner12 2 years, 12 months ago
Those who opt to not be vaccinated are facing serious social, political and financial discrimination. The vaccine should be just ONE option, not the panacea that it is literally been treated as. Heck, soon unvaccinated people will face medical apartheid in this country. Very troubling as 70% of Bahamians have refused the jab, for good reasons. Who will defend the MAJORITY???
tribanon 2 years, 12 months ago
We won't have to worry about the Vaccine Dependent Global Society for too much longer. Their future is hitched to the financially greedy and very evil globalist billionaires who seek population control through the imposition of a dangerous jabbing regimen. It doesn't take too much upstairs to figure out what that portends for the Vaccine Dependent Global Society.
The unvaccinated who have developed natural immunity are bound to survive, dominate and thrive. If Charles Darwin were alive today, he could easily have written an award winning research paper on the unfortunate fate of the Vaccine Dependent Global Society.
sheeprunner12 2 years, 12 months ago
The Bahamian politicians are making the Covid Laws ........ they are playing to the tune of UN/WHO/PAHO/CDC music ........ While there is no more Competent Authority, the Minister of Health is doing the same things that the PLP didnot support in Opposition.
whatsup 2 years, 12 months ago
Why is the USA not sending vaccines to Haiti? Google Haiti vaccines and you will read that NOT ONE PERSON IN HAITI IS VACCINATED, yet with 11 million people, hardly any cases or deaths. We do not need the vaccine, wake up Bahamas
jamesg30 2 years, 12 months ago
What an absurd post. Where is all your insightful data that leads you to believe this craziness that you have created in the dream like state you must function though out the day in? In fact almost all the posts around this wonderful gift from the US of these vaccines is complete madness. Sad so sad. This country is in trouble if this sampling of posters is what people think about this very real virus and this vaccine that will at worst, keep you off a ventilator and at best, allow you to have Covid with no obvious symptoms. The great Haitian Covid cover up. Please direct me to where you get all your information.
JokeyJack 2 years, 12 months ago
You realize that "keeping off the ventilator" is just a threat to scare you. Take it or else we will ventilate you. We wont give you any medication and let you get sicker and sicker until u beg for a ventilator. Meanwhile your family (who may even be medical professionals) cannot visit you to see what experiments are being performed. You cannot see the mental sickness that is behind this? How do you think all those Jews got put on the trains? Who loaded them and unloaded them at gunpoint? Who's doing it now? Would you have stood by and said "well it's just necessary because i heard a report on the radio that said so. It was an official report backed by experts " indeed it was.
jamesg30 2 years, 12 months ago
You are not right in the head. You would fit right in with the Qanon people in the US.
tribanon 2 years, 12 months ago
Actually, he's right and you're 'too far gone' as a member of the minority Vaccine Dependent Global Society to know it.
JokeyJack 2 years, 12 months ago
But haven't over 400,000 Bahamians already died "in droves" from this "virus"???? Who's left alive to vaccinate after 19 months?
jamesg30 2 years, 12 months ago
Who's left to be vaccinated? about 60% of the whack jobs like you
tribanon 2 years, 12 months ago
You can have all of his jabs and mine too. Unlike you, many of us wish to avoid serious heart problems and possibly other yet to be identified health issues connected with these experimental vaccines as we grow older. LOL
sheeprunner12 2 years, 12 months ago
The 242 official stats on Covid has to be far from right. If only about 700 ppl died of Covid in such an unhealthy, ill disciplined population, that should be applauded. Either way, climate change is a bigger threat than COVID-19.
tribanon 2 years, 12 months ago
And continuing government corruption is by far the greatest threat of all. Let's make sure we keep a keen eye on all of Darville's activities as minister of health, especially any dealings involving Wilchcombe and warehouse space.
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