Cabinet Notes: The Cabinet invited seven experts from the Ministry of Health including the Chief Medical Officer, the Principal Nursing Officer, the Chief Health Inspector, the Ministry’s Technology Officer, and three members of the Technical Committee responsible for communicating new information to the public.
The CMO shared the plan for vaccinating approximately 80,000 adults in 35 days. Five teams, each consisting of five staff and nurses, will be dispatched to several centers each day of the week (Saturday and Sunday also) during March and the first week of April 2021, to inoculate as many as 250 to 550 people each, daily for a period of 35 days (5 X 500=2,500 X 35=87,500).
Two days will be dedicated to Barbuda in order to vaccinate approximately 1,000 adults living there. This approach will allow the Ministry to achieve herd immunity in the state; that accomplishment will in turn make Antigua and Barbuda very safe, though the Covid-19 protocols will continue to apply.
It is anticipated that the 40,000 vials of vaccine will be capable of vaccinating 40,000 men and women.
The medicines will arrive Antigua this weekend. Another 100,000 vials will be required within two months in order to provide the second inoculation which will bring 100% efficacy to the population of recipients of the vaccine. The Serum Institute of India will likely provide 100,000 vials as requested
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The usual ‘head in the clouds’ statement….
I’ll believe that number when I see it, but I hope the majority will want to receive the vaccine.
Important to note a couple of things… People can still develop and even spread Covid-19 after getting the vaccine. The vaccine does not prevent coronavirus, it helps to protect against serious illness if you are infected. Also, it’s hard to say if herd immunity can be fully achieved with Covid-19 or its many developing variants. Especially on an island state like A&B as it’s hard to document the percentage of people who have elected to receive a jab.
The best thing is for everyone to receive the vaccine and start to protect themselves, and as many others as possible.
CNN yesterday talked about worrisome mutation that weakens the effectiveness of vaccines . First found in November but, cases has been seen the Bronx ,Queens , Brooklyn , Manhattan and Westchester .
Im a bit confused here and i stand to be CORRECTED. I have been hearing that the second dose is given 3-6 weeks after the first. Now im seeing in antigua its 12 WEEKS after which is correct?
Many countries, including the UK,are delaying the 2nd dose to 12 weeks so that more people can get the 1st dose quickly.
@BB – CRITICALLY. UK made this decision KNOWING they have sufficient supplies of AstraZeneca as it is being produced in UK and UK financially supported the Research & Development hence have first priority on all UK produced supplies.
A&B do NOT have guaranteed supplies nor a guaranteed definite delivery schedule
Hence decisions should be made differently.
@confused
Original trials gave second dose at 21-28 days
However real life data on over 13 million people in UK show efficacy of AstraZeneca increases if second dose is given between 11-12 weeks after first dose
NY variant may create vaccine issues
In New York, a new variant that carries a mutation that may weaken the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines has been identified as the B.1.526 variant. It was first discovered in November, and now accounts for about one in four viral sequences in a database shared by scientists, according to the New York Times.
Cases have been detected across New York City, researchers said, and threaten to once again make the city a hot spot of viral infection. They say the strain’s “unique set of spike mutations may also pose an antigenic challenge for current interventions,” such as vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies.
Great plan – viability in question.
Two major areas of concern:
1. Vaccine delivery to Antigua.
COVAX 40,000 due when? Ms. Etienne PAHO said ‘late first quarter, early second quarter. ANY REALISTIC UPDATE ON THIS?
Caricom 40,000 from India, as mentioned by PM ‘arriving before the end of the month’ Sunday is end of February ANY REAL DELIVERY UPDATE?
“The Serum Institute of India will likely provide 100,000 vials as requested” within 2 months. ALERT! DANGER! THIS IS NOT A SURE THING. We along with hundreds of developing Nations and CANADA are negotiating with India. This is NOT A DONE DEAL.
2. HEALTH
CMO the real danger here is IF you use all of the potential 80,000 vials for a first inoculation, and this 100,000 deal a) doesn’t happen b) doesn’t arrive by mid-June THEN WHAT?
You can’t give second shot of a DIFFERENT vaccine, no full studies yet on when waning in efficacy of one dose begins, danger of mutations incoming from travelers and developing our own as the ‘herd’ will NOT be fully immunized.
My suggestion is to pause, be strategic, as each batch of vaccine arrives, firstly hold back 5,000 to ensure the first 5,000 get their #2 shot in May! Then use 50% of the vials and hold back the rest to be certain the second shot can be given within the 12 week timeframe.
Yes, it will spread out the time to achieve ‘herd immunity’ until potentially August instead of June, but it’s the smart & safe way forward for a sustainable tourism uplift for 21/22 season.
In fact YOU, the CMO originally outlined this specific plan when you first talked about receiving vaccines & your plan for roll-out, so not at all sure why this has changed, unless politricks.
Remember PM said China wanting to give us 100,000 vials of Sinopharm !
Cannot be mixed with AZ / is not approved by WHO
That is a separate discussion!
Let us NOT screw this up to try and get a bumper summer season at the expense of spikes, mutations, more lockdowns and our health.
We’ve been patient and generally abiding by personal protocols for 11 months, we can do it a few more if it gives us a clear late Summer and winter season.
UPDATE; 26-2-2021 9.42am Minister of Information admits on ABS TV the 100,000 vials the PM is negotiating that are ‘likely’ MAY NOT BE LIKELY AT ALL AS INDIA IS UNDER VACCINATING THEIR OWN PEOPLE & PUSHING FOR THE VACCINES BEING PRODUCED IN INDIA TO BE DIVERTED TO THE INDIAN POPULATION!!!
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Name – Alphabetic Number
C – 3
O – 15
R – 18
O – 15
N – 14
A – 1
6 66
Grow up, clown.
500 homes in 500 hundred days!!!!
Why You Guys DON’T shut your mouths and take the vaccine. Stop all the Rhetoric.
” DO NOT VASILATE,HURRY BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE , COVID DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ..” “VACCINATE.”
U the one that needs to shut up. Go research vaccine and tell me from what they saying this does if it is qualified to be called a vaccine.
FREDERICK.C.J.M that’s not your real name . No one that stupid and speak like such an ass would leave their real name .
School children say that the administration is calling all their friends to come and get vaccinated. Registration does not apply to them. Just come and you can register after. School children also say that the job to call was put in the hands of the senator who had control of the duty freebies and messed that up. The school kids also say that the admininistratrion is cleaning up the process by roping in the fooly UPP people who have no idea that they are being used.
Lordy, not even the vaccine is free from corruption. Poh arwe!
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