By Admin. Updated 3:31 p.m., Wednesday, January 6, 2020, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Kingstown, St. Vincent (ONE NEWS SVG) – Health authorities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are aiming to immunize 70-percent of the population against COVID-19, when vaccines become available to the Caribbean.
Chief Medical Officer – Simone Keizer-Beache said at a press conference yesterday (January 5), that the ministry of health is still aiming to have the vaccines, which will be made available in the first quarter of 2021.
She said that under the COVAX facility, which St. Vincent is part of, it has not been determined which vaccines this country will get.
She said COVAX announced access to all vaccines and the ones we will get in St. Vincent depend on the availability. It will also depend on the characteristics we ask for.
She said this country was promised 20,000 vaccines from COVAX, free of cost, but that the government will purchase the other 50,000 vaccines to reach the 70,000 mark.
The taking of vaccines by nationals will be voluntary.
Insert: CMO 70,000 vaccines; 1:02 mins