GOVERNMENT SOURCING MORE DOSES OF COVID-19 VACCINES INCLUDING JOHNSON & JOHNSON TO FURTHER VACCINATION EFFORTS

Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 4, 2021 (SKNIS): With the first batch of Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccines dated to expire on June 30, 2021, Minister of Health the Hon. Akilah Byron- Nisbett announced that the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is presently sourcing more doses of COVID-19 vaccines. She said that the next batch of vaccines will likely be secured from the United States’ 7 million dose donation to the COVAX Facility and a donation from the African Medical Supply Platform.

“The Ministry of Health is perusing all options available to us in order to be able to benefit from more doses of vaccines. Indeed, we are exploring an option through the Africa Medical Supply Platform to be able to receive doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. So, that option will be available to us in St. Kitts and Nevis. In terms of AstraZeneca vaccines, we will continue to work with the COVAX Facility. St. Kitts and Nevis will benefit from another 21,600 vaccines through COVAX. They should arrive between July and September,” said Minister Byron-Nisbett.

Further, the United States in response to calls to release stockpiled doses of vaccines has committed to donating 7 million doses to the COVAX Facility, which would then be distributed through the COVAX delivery mechanism. The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis will also benefit from the U.S donation since the entire CARICOM body has been allocated preferential 20 percent vaccine allocation.

As of June 3, 2021, 28,980 doses of Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines have been administered to 63 percent of the adult population of the Federation. To continue the mass vaccination campaign in an effort to achieve the 70 percent herd immunity threshold, health centers will be open between the hours of 8:00 am and 6:00 pm in St Kitts from Monday to Friday, and in Nevis between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Extended hours of service will apply on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. until further notice