Medical leaders ‘to be the first innoculated’

The COVID-19 vaccine could become available to a handful of Barbadians by as early as this weekend, Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced this afternoon.

Saying there was a possibility that doses could be given to four people within the next two days, Mottley said that she was hoping to secure a larger batch in the coming weeks that would be administered to frontline workers and the most vulnerable first.

In a televised national address from Ilaro Court, Mottley announced that the nation’s lone infections specialist Dr Corey Forde would be the first to receive the jab if doses become available this weekend.

Public health specialist Dr Manohar Singh and Minister of Health Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic would also be among the first, she said.

But the Prime Minister said she had not yet decided if she would be the fourth person to be vaccinated.

Mottley said: “There is a debate going on and I have been fighting it. The rest believe that I must take it as Prime Minister but we are still in deep discussions on that and we will settle on that. But if I have to I will, if only because I know there are some people who are vaccine skeptics and we need to let persons know that these vaccines are things that we have been accustomed to from children.

“Yes, there is always a risk but the risk invariably is negligible in comparison to the benefits that we gain with respect to it.”

Mottley said it was also imperative that those workers on the frontline and people in high-risk categories be given the vaccine as soon as possible.

She said efforts were being made to expedite access to vaccines with a downpayment of just under $5 million to secure additional doses already being made.

Mottley told the nation: “Without prejudice to those four, however, I really, really want to hope that within the next four to eight weeks we can have vaccines in Barbados of some type to at least start to ensure that which we need to do to keep our country stable; the medical personnel, the security forces, those who are most vulnerable but who are needed to be able to have their lives protected or those who are most vulnerable because they need to help us protect and maintain order in a society and to protect and guard those who will need our help, must be in the priority list as we go forward.”

In addressing the recent spike of COVID-19 cases on the island, Mottley said the numbers were being brought under control.

As of noon Friday, five positive cases were recorded out of 1,431 tests done.

Eight people were also expected to be released from isolation Friday.

While Mottley noted that the situation was improving, she insisted that the country was “not out of the woods”.

She said: “If we can get this right over the next few days then we can come back on track.

My friends, this is a challenging moment for the country but I am satisfied that if we continue to track and trace and test, if we continue to be patient and let us get the vaccines in here as fast as possible.

“We are a lot better than we were last weekend but we are not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination.”

But she warned that Government was considering reintroducing the alphabet system for entry to supermarkets, hardware stores and banks from as early as Sunday.

She said a final decision would be made following discussions with the relevant industry players.

The Prime Minister revealed that extra manpower was also being sought to boost the island’s capacity to fight the pandemic.

Government is hoping to source two community disease specialists, two respiratory disease specialists, two intensive care specialists, two anesthesiologists, a respiratory therapist and four lab technicians, all from Cuba, she revealed.

And she said PAHO was also sending a virologist.

Mottley said successful discussions with the Chinese government should see an additional mobile lab become available on January 20.

Despite continued calls for the island’s borders to be closed, Mottley said Government still sees no need to do so.

She pointed out that significantly fewer visitors were coming here.
(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)