BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, February 24, 2021 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris and local medical experts continue to advocate for citizens and residents to accept the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine when it becomes available to them free of cost.
Speakingon last night’s (Tuesday, February 23) edition of Leadership Matters, Prime Minister Harris reminded nationals and those tuned in to the popular programme that St. Kitts and Nevis has a highly commendable record of vaccination.
“A number of vaccination programmes come readily to mind. Measles, Mumps and Rubella; Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus; yellow fever; Hepatitis inactivated polio; oral polio vaccine; DPT, and the Human Papillomavirus vaccines. All these vaccination programmes and more have helped us to have a very outstanding record in healthcare delivery,” Dr. Harris said.
PrimeMinister Harris noted that all these different vaccines have helped to save many lives and that “we must add the COVID-19 vaccine to our list.”
Inhis plea to citizens and residents to accept the vaccine, Prime Minister Harris said it is important for one to take responsibility for their own health.
“When you vaccinate you protect yourself from the worst effects of COVID-19 and you strengthen your immune system to fight COVID-19. This responsibility must extend to our families, our communities, and indeed to our country. We avoid the risk of overwhelming our health system with consequential deaths and life threatening scenarios. Another reason why we should vaccinate is that vaccination will help us to put thousands back to work, especially in areas of high contact such as our hotels, restaurants, taxi and tour operations sub-sectors,” the prime minister stated.
Importantly, Prime Minister Harris said the vaccination of a majority of the population will help St. Kitts and Nevis return to a state of near normalcy.
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