Vaccinations still short of mark

For the second consecutive week, Government has fallen short of the 10,000 new vaccines target it set itself.

Joint coordinator of the National Vaccination Programme, Major David Clarke told Barbados TODAY this evening that records showed between last Sunday and Friday morning only 5000 persons had received the first dose while the second dose was administered to another 5000.

The latest statistics from the Ministry of Health and Wellness showed 136,034 persons had so far taken the first dose while a further 105, 881 were fully vaccinated.

That represents 39.1 per cent of the population which is fully inoculated.

On Thursday, there were four more related COVID-19 deaths, bringing the number of people who have died from the respiratory virus to 78.

Major Clarke explained that the week officially ended on Saturday, which meant the numbers of persons who received their first dose could increase further.

However, he admitted reaching the 10, 000 weekly figure suggested by Prime Minister Mia Mottley two weeks ago would be challenging.

“We will probably get up to 7 000 tomorrow, that is what I think. At this point in time we are working hard to increase the numbers but we are past the very easy people to get. We are now dealing with the people we have to convince but this is more a battle that we are in trying to get people to come out and we will keep fighting the battle,” Major Clarke said.

Despite the relatively low turnout, he was satisfied the mobile vaccination units being deployed in communities across the island were doing well.

He said while their success might not be reflected in the figures, the mobile units were reaching persons who otherwise would not have been vaccinated.

“The mobile units have been very successful. Remember mobile units are really trying to reach people in communities that would not necessarily come out. So we may put in a lot of effort and we may get 50 people in a community who would not have come out during the day,” Major Clarke explained.

“I think they have been successful but I think we have a difficult battle.”

During a nationally televised press conference on September 18, Prime Minister Mottley indicated that if vaccination numbers increased by 50,000 over the next five weeks there was a possibility the current restrictions would be relaxed or lifted entirely.

She said she hoped the figure could be reached by November 30, the date when Barbados is set to become a Parliamentary Republic.

“We’re now just under 6,500 I think a week. So I’m asking to go a little harder…gimme dah lil extra to get to 10,000. And if we can do that and we can maintain that each week for the next five weeks then we will have the majority of those persons fully vaccinated before the end of November, before Independence Day and Christmas, such that we may, as a country, consider the options of significant review and removal of restrictions that we have in place,” Mottley said at the time.
(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)