The national COVID-19 vaccination campaign is now in its fourth month of implementation. As of Sunday 13 June 2021, a total of 29,655 first doses; and 20,589 second doses of the Astrazeneca COVID-19 Vaccine have been administered. This represents 16.4% and 11.4% of the population receiving the first and second doses respectively.

During the month of May 2021, the campaign modified its initial phased approach to be complemented with a mobile component. This component was included in the campaign to facilitate greater ease of access to the vaccine by the citizenry. The Ministry of Health & Wellness continues an intense roll out of the campaign with vaccines being offered at a wide range of locations.

Vaccines are offered at routine static vaccination sites every week island wide, as well as at mobile sites within communities and at locations of high human traffic. The elderly, people with mobility challenges and people living with chronic non-communicable conditions continue to be vaccinated within their homes to ensure individuals at high-risk for severe COVID-19 infection are reached and provided with the protection offered by the vaccine.

It should be noted that a cross-section of the private sector has partnered with the Ministry of Health to provide vaccine to their management and staff within their workplace. This has proven to be an effective approach for increasing vaccination coverage amongst individuals in their productive years of life. The Ministry of Health notes particular success with this strategy within the hotel sector. To date, some hotels have achieved vaccine coverage of about 65 to 70% of their staff complement.

This is a remarkable achievement, especially in a sector where there is a higher risk of possible exposure to the COVID-19 virus given the nature of their heightened level of daily interaction with a wide range of people. This reduces the likelihood of a surge in cases given this level of protection, and helping strengthen productivity in that sector.

As the economy slowly re-opens, and restrictions are lessened, the need to have a significant proportion of the workforce covered with the COVID-19 vaccine becomes increasingly important to protect the health of our citizenry. 

The demand for vaccines worldwide far surpasses the supply; as we are still in a critical point in the pandemic, where vaccine supply is limited. The COVAX Facility remains committed to the delivery of the allocated number of doses to Saint Lucia. The third tranche of vaccines is expected in the coming weeks; and the opportunity to continue procuring additional doses through this platform exists. Currently, the Astrazeneca vaccine is the only vaccine available in our country. The Ministry of Health continues to engage authorized vaccine suppliers, with the intention of adding other COVID-19 vaccines to the current programme.

Vaccine safety and monitoring for severe adverse events remains a critical component of the vaccination roll-out. It has been noted that recent reports released by global health authorities indicates that there is an association of blood clotting events after the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine. We at the Ministry of Health are aware, that this may have contributed to a level of hesitancy towards the vaccine, and thus affecting uptake. We assure all that these events have been confirmed as being extremely rare and an unlikely expected outcome for the vast majority of people who receive this vaccine. It is important to consider that clotting problems are a common complication of COVID-19 infection and it is also associated with other prevalent health conditions including obesity. The Ministry of Health assures the citizenry that the safety of each individual is of paramount importance.

There is in place a vaccine monitoring system which allows for the keeping a record of any adverse effect and a timely intervention if this occurs. Given this monitoring system it important that each individual who has been vaccinated and experiences a response beyond the expected side effects, contacts their healthcare provider to report their experience. Once notified, an investigation will ensue to determine causality. Though this monitoring system exists to capture adverse events in an effort to ensure vaccine safety, it is important to bear in mind that vaccine benefits continue to vastly outweigh any possible risk.

While the Ministry of Health & Wellness remain steadfast in its efforts towards achieving population immunity, you are encouraged to continue adhering to public health measures – wearing of masks; hand hygiene; and physical distancing protocols.

The Ministry of Health will continue to provide updates of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out.