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‘Put seniors first for vaccine shots’

by Barbados Today
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Marilyn Rice-Bowen

As Government prepares to launch mass COVID-19 vaccination, seniors are asking to be placed at the front of the queue for the jab.

Marilyn Rice-Bowen, president of the Barbados Association of Retired Persons (BARP), made the call during an interview with Barbados TODAY following Government’s successful procurement of 100,000 doses of the vaccine from the Government of India.

This batch of the COVID-19 vaccine should serve about 50,000 people – roughly one-fifth of the population – who will require two doses to be adequately inoculated.

“We definitely feel that seniors should be on the list of priority persons. We also want to have an audience with the Minister of Health and Wellness Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic,” she said.

Rice-Bowen, a retired insurance executive, said her organisation was particularly concerned about the surge in COVID-19 deaths on the island, especially among older Barbadians.

She said: “Given the current situation with COVID deaths rising, we are aware that officials of the Ministry of Health and Wellness may not be able to meet with us in short order. “However, we hope that they will find some time to engage with us and that we can hear from the Minister where our seniors will be on the list for vaccinations against COVID-19.”

Noting that elderly residents of homes would likely be among the early recipients of the vaccine, she noted: “BARP wants to sit with Minister Bostic so that we can be part of the discussion as it relates to the allocation of the vaccines for seniors.”

BARP, which represents about 25,000 members, 50 years old and over, had not yet solicited its general membership’s views on their acceptance of the vaccine, Rice-Bowen said.

But at the level of the board of directors, there was enthusiasm for vaccinations against the deadly viral illness, the BARP head declared.

Rice-Bowen told Barbados TODAY: “We are quite prepared to take the vaccine. It will, of course, be a personal decision for each member. But given the way this disease has ravaged seniors, and the fact that the vaccine is supposed to offer you a better quality of life, one would think that we should be keen on receiving it to ensure that we can maintain a good quality of life.”

She revealed that there was an increased level of anxiety among many elderly citizens since there was confirmation of the presence of the more infectious British variant of COVID-19 on the island.

“This has been a very frightening experience when you look at the fact that from March last year to December, we only had seven deaths,” she said. “However, we have had seven deaths in one month. This is alarming, and we want to impress upon people the importance of observing the protocols and taking responsibility for your personal health.”

The National Co-Coordinator of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign, Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand, a retired Chief Medical Officer, told a press briefing over the weekend, that people under 18 would not be given the vaccine “but as far as race, ethnicity or sex. . . it is safe for anybody”.

But she stressed that people who are allergic to its components or people who have severe allergies, including those who use an EpiPen – a medical device used in emergencies to treat very severe allergic reactions with an injection of epinephrine – would not receive the jab.

Ferdinand, who is working with Major David Clarke of the Barbados Defence Force, said plans were being finalised for the rollout of the mass vaccination programme shortly. (IMC1)

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