Barbados is falling behind in its vaccination campaign that has been highly trumpeted as the route to a safe resumption of the country’s ‘normal’ activities.
And it’s a trend authorities are hoping to reverse amid yet another outbreak of coronavirus infections.
Coordinator of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand told Barbados TODAY in a recent interview that the availability of vaccines along with the number of persons refusing to come forward are the main factors impeding the country’s goal of inoculating 80 per cent of the population.
Dr Ferdinand is also banking on widespread acceptance of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine to assist with the fight against present and future waves of the virus.
In the meantime, Democratic Labour Party (DLP) spokesperson on health, Paul Gibson is calling on the Government to outline a “clear path” toward herd immunity as deadlier, more transmissible variants surfaced.
The country has been returned to an 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew following an explosion of 40 cases on Sunday that also saw more than 200 people placed in quarantine. Public health officials have also disclosed that cases of the Alpha, Delta and Gamma variants have also been recorded.
However, just 25 per cent (71 703) of the total population and 35 per cent of the adult population have been fully vaccinated, while just 32 per cent (95 695) of the total population has received a first dose.
“I would have hoped to be a little further, because this is a pandemic and we need to be vaccinating people very quickly. We need people to get their vaccinations as soon as possible,” Dr Ferdinand told Barbados TODAY.
“I am even hoping for 80 per cent to have a very good herd immunity, but if we are only at 30 per cent now, you can understand we still have some way to go.
“That is why I told you that I am not happy, because we are only one-third of the way along and the quicker we get to herd immunity, the better we can get back to a semi-normal life. So it is important that people do their duty and come forward and not only protect themselves, but protect the country as a whole,” the vaccine campaign coordinator added.
Dr Ferdinand expressed even more concern about the number of people not coming forward for their second doses, especially in light of the increasing number of cases.
“Sometimes it is a little difficult getting people to come for the second dose and right now we are in the process of encouraging people to come forward and get completely vaccinated by getting the second shot. As far as the first doses are concerned, we are progressing well but the second dose, we need to speed up a bit and we need to get people coming forward.
“I have enough AstraZeneca to do the second doses of all those people who have had their first doses so far and we just received 30 000 doses of the Sinopharm from China and we are going to start rolling out this week as our first doses. So that is another 15 000 first doses that can be done. After that, we have to wait for more vaccines to come in,” she explained.
“We are seeing over the last few days an increase in the numbers and that has been a worrying trend and so again I want people to get vaccinated and continue their social distancing, their masks and hand-washing,” Ferdinand urged.
The DLP’s health spokesman has been warning for some time of the need to increase the numbers as the country faces the real threat of a third wave of the virus.
“I am all for opening, I am all for liberties, I am all for freedom, but there must be balance with ensuring that we don’t drop the ball, that we need to do what we need to do which is vaccinate, continue to sanitise, continue to wear your mask,” Gibson told Barbados TODAY.
“But the vaccination is really the thing that is giving the US their biggest drop in numbers and we should recognise that and see the inextricable association between vaccination and lowering of the incidents of COVID-19,” the DLP spokesperson argued.
Gibson contended that based on his observations, Barbadians are keen to be vaccinated, and the onus is now on authorities to get more doses.
“I don’t know who is responsible for the process, but this is also something that the Government needs to tell Barbadians. What is exactly happening, because it is almost like a secret,” said Gibson.
“They are not being open about what is happening and in the vaccine chart, not only do you say how many vaccines are first dose, how many vaccines are second dose, but tell everybody in Barbados what our ultimate target is,” he concluded.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)
