Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 02, 2021 (SKNIS): Health authorities in St. Kitts and Nevis are applauding a large number of citizens and residents who have willingly stepped forward to receive a jab of a COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves and their loved ones from the deadly COVID-19 virus.
At the close of business day on Wednesday, September 01, 2021, statistics from the Ministry of Health revealed that 73.5 percent of the adult population had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The goal is to vaccinate at least 33,037 adults. As such, the 73.5 percent equates to 24,282 persons. The percentage of persons who are fully vaccinated with a second jab stood at 66.3 percent or 21,906.
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“This is a tremendous achievement,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hazel Laws at the COVID-19 Briefing by the National Emergency Operations Centre on Wednesday. “Our vaccination coverage is extremely good when compared to the other OECS (Organization of Eastern Caribbean States) territories and the other CARICOM (Caribbean Community) member states.
“I want to pause and commend our people for coming onboard in terms of accepting the COVID-19,” she added.
The high vaccination rate is likely to increase following the September 01 rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the twin-island Federation. The US Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccine is available to persons 12 years and above. Health officials set a goal of fully vaccinating 4,800 persons between the ages of 12 and 17 years.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which was offered locally from the end of February this year, was available exclusively to adults. The stock has since been exhausted. The government is working assiduously to acquire additional COVID-19 vaccines.
Dr. Laws strongly encouraged individuals to step forward to take a jab to help protect the Federation from the global economic and social ravages resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on the storage requirements, individuals must make an appointment at the nearest health center before receiving the life-saving Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Appointments can also be made via telephone at 662-8216.
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