Education Minister announces seven vaccine sites

Children from as young as 12 will be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from this weekend, Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw announced Wednesday.

The Pfizer mRNA jab, the leading fighter against the pandemic in the United States where it was approved this week by its Food and Drug Administration, is to be rolled out on Friday.

“Having met with public health officials from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and several parent-teacher associations as well as the umbrella body, the National Council for Parent-Teacher Associations, I want to announce that Barbados is ready to commence the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine to all children, ages 12 to 18 years,” Bradshaw revealed.

Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for use in children.

After Barbados received a shipment of Pfizer 70 000 doses, a donation from the United States government, on August 13, both the Education Minister and Prime Minister Mia Mottley said there would be consultations before any decision was taken to immunize children here.

On Wednesday, Bradshaw noted that some of the island’s leading paediatricians have already expressed full support for administering the vaccine to teens and pre-teens, with priority being given to children with chronic diseases, particularly those with special needs.

Bradshaw said medical practitioners agree that the vaccine would add another layer to the protection of the Barbadian population from the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

“As the only vaccine so far approved by the [United States] Centres for Disease Control, the Pfizer vaccine will no doubt provide us with the opportunity to protect our students between the ages of 12 to 18 years to return to face-to-face classes in the coming months,” the Education Minister said.

The Pfizer vaccine will be available to students 12 to 18 years at seven sites: Harrison College, Princess Margaret, St Leonards Secondary, Parkinson Secondary, the Christ Church Foundation School, the Seventh Day Adventist Church in St Peter and the Sharon Moravian Church Hall in Jackson, St Michael.

Each centre would be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and registration will begin on arrival.

Bradshaw said that in the coming weeks, the Ministry will be outfitting and opening additional centres in phases in an effort to reach every eligible child.

“I want to stress that there is absolutely no need to venture too far from your parish of residence. In other words, every parish will eventually have a centre that you can get to,” she said.

Minister Bradshaw again urged Barbadians to continue the fight against COVID-19 by getting vaccinated in order to protect themselves and those around them.
(emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb)