By Demion McTair. Updated 8:33 a.m., Wednesday, June 2, 2021, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Some clarity was provided on June 1, 2021, on the number of people who have received COVID-19 vaccines in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
At a press conference on June 1, Health Minister St. Clair Prince said that some 20, 334 COVID-19 vaccines have so far been administered in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
But, this figure includes both first and second doses.
In reality, only 16, 157 people have been vaccinated.
Some 13, 902 are first dose, while 6, 432 people have taken their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
But even as the minister reported on Tuesday, June 1, that a total of 20,334 vaccines were administered, the COVID-19 report from the health ministry for Saturday, May 29 stated that 20, 768 vaccines were administered.
The report for Friday, May 28 stated that 20, 526 vaccines were administered.
None of the reports issued on the Ministry of Health’s Facebook page have made any distinction between first or second-dose vaccine figures.
There is also no information on the number of people who took the Oxford, AstraZeneca as opposed to the Russian, Sputnik vaccines.
Health minister, St. Clair Prince said more disaggregated data will be provided soon.
Minister Prince said he is encouraging Vincentians to get vaccinated to reduce chances of severe reactions to COVID-19, including hospitalization and death.
Some 21,600 additional vaccines came in on May 25, 2021 from the Covax facility, he said, adding that the ministry is trying to get more doses of the Sputnik vaccine.
Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Simone Beache said the ministry is trying to source doses of the BioNTech, Pfizer vaccine for children, as that vaccine can be administered to children above 12 years.
Children are still at risk of developing severe reactions to the disease, health officials said.
There has been an increase in the number of cases among the young population in St. Vincent, that is, 27 percent of total cases are children (persons under the age of 18), Senior Registrar attached to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital – Dr. Mishka Duncan-Adams said at the press conference.
Children as young as one month old have been infected with COVID-19, Dr. Duncan-Adams said.
The total number of active COVID-19 cases across St. Vincent and the Grenadines has risen to 192.
There have so far been 12 COVID-19 related deaths.
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