BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, April 24, 2021 (MMS-SKN) — As the Covid-19 vaccination rollout continues, Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris is appealing to concerned individuals to urge persons to come forward to be vaccinated noting that the longer people take to get vaccinated gives the virus the opportunity to take on a new variant.
“It is critically important that each one of us should urge as many persons to come forward,” said Prime Minister Harris on Saturday April 24 at the Sylvia Garnette Primary Health Care Facility in Tabernacle where he was encouraging persons to turn up for vaccination. “We are seeing around the world, rather than diminishing, instances where the virus is taking hold in a much more serious and significant way.”
According to Dr Harris, who is also the Area Parliamentary Representative for St. Christopher Seven (Bellevue to Ottley’s), Covid-19 continues to present significant threat as in Japan this week Tokyo started a fourteen-day lockdown, and in other parts of Europe they are fighting the third wave. Closer to home, in Brazil, he observed that they are having significant deaths in many places showing that the threat is far from going away.
“Why we need some urgency too, is that the longer people take to get vaccinated it gives the virus the opportunity to take on a new variant and yet from the research, so far, it is more deadly, much more transmissible and we want in St. Kitts and Nevis just to contend with the variant we now have,” pointed out the Honourable Prime Minister. “To add more will add a new dilemma for our health situation.”
The Sylvia Garnette Primary Health Care Facility in Tabernacle is one of the four health centres on St. Kitts that is offering Covid-19 vaccination services on a Saturday to accommodate persons who would not normally get time to be vaccinated during the week. The others are Basseterre, New Town, and St. Paul’s Health Centres.
“Today was one of the more productive days in that within the short period we were able to have 23 coming to be vaccinated,” said Prime Minister Harris. “So I am very pleased as the Member of Parliament who have assisted them in getting there and to help push the country closer to the target we have set – 70 per cent of the population vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.”
Coming out for vaccinations included officers from the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services based at the Tabernacle Police Station, who were led by Fire Sub Officer Davron Clarke who is in charge of the Tabernacle Fire Station and the Sandy Point Fire Station.
With him were Fire Officer Rasheed Stapleton, Volunteer Fire Officer Dion Dolphin, Fire Officer Jamal Duncan, and Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) intern Kezron Kelly who is attached to the Fire Department.
The vaccination session was facilitated by Nurse Paula Boddie who was assisted by Nurse Shirmel Welcome. Also of note, among those taking the vaccination, was 18-year old Fourth Form student of the Washington Archibald High School, Mr Diquan Davis, who said that he took the decision to get vaccinated as he had attained the minimum age. A nephew of Prime Minister Harris, Mr Miguel Maynard, thanked his uncle for encouraging him to take the vaccine.
“As the Representative I consider it an opportunity for service to reach out to the constituents daily and to utilise my Saturday morning to get as many people to the vaccination centre, here at the Sylvia Garnette Primary Health Care Facility,” said Prime Minister Harris.
He added: “This morning was better than last week when we had eighteen; was better than the week before when we had twelve. So we are having an increase in turnout. Next week we certainly will aim to do better than this week as the pattern over the last three weeks is that there is improvement every week.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 23, 2021 (SKNIS): Several young persons in St. Kitts were armed with additional information about the science and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and why, to date, it remains the best way to end the global pandemic that has claimed more than three million lives around the world.
On Thursday, April 22, 2021, the Department of Youth Empowerment hosted a sensitization session for youth volunteers, members of youth groups, and other partners at the CUNA Caribbean Conference Centre.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture, Valencia Syder, welcomed the participants to the forum. She added that the briefing was part of the ministry’s regular engagement to educate and register feedback from youth about critical local developments.
“For you to make an informed decision you have to be informed with sound and accurate information,” she stated, encouraging a candid exchange between the audience and Dr. Cuthbert Sebastian Jr. who facilitated the discussion.
A number of pertinent questions were asked including what a vaccine is, how it works, what the risks of blood clots are and the available medication to treat such, and what herd immunity is, and more.
Dr. Sebastian shared about the issue of blood clots. He said that although we are in the middle of a global pandemic caused by COVID-19, life is still going on and many people are dying from various conditions.
“People still get heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots,” he stated. “Actually, 1 in every 1,000 adults are expected to get a blood clot and it [the risks of blood clots] goes up the older you get.,” he stated.”
While there is no definitive data to suggest that anyone has died as a result of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, Dr. Sebastian warned that more than three million persons have died from COVID-19 and being fully vaccinated is the best way to avoid getting seriously ill or dying from the virus.
The young people in attendance thanked Dr. Sebastian for providing the science behind the vaccine.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 22, 2021 (SKNIS): Over one-third of the target population in St. Kitts and Nevis has received the first jab of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as the Roll Up 2 Roll Out COVID-19 vaccination programme continues.
Figures presented by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws, indicated that 11,848 doses have been administered to date as of April 21, 2021. A further breakdown shows that 8,935 doses have been administered in St. Kitts, while 2,913 doses have been administered in Nevis. The combined number represents 35.86 percent of the target goal. To achieve herd immunity, health authorities in the Federation expressed that 33,037 persons or 70 percent of the population must be fully vaccinated.
“Once you are fully vaccinated, you would have an 83 percent risk reduction in picking up the (COVID-19) virus,” said Dr. Laws at the National COVID-19 Briefing on April 21, 2021.
The Chief Medical Officer shared how useful the vaccine can be in the case of an outbreak.
“If perchance we have clusters of cases of COVID-19, if we go into community transmission and the virus is spreading, once you are fully vaccinated the risk of your contracting the disease is very slim and if perchance you do, it prevents you from becoming very ill,” it prevents death,” Dr. Laws expressed.
As of April 22, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that globally there are 143, 445, 675 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 3, 051, 736 deaths. 889, 990,259 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 1st, 2021 (ZIZ News) As part of its COVID19 response agenda, the executive and management team of TDC took another step towards educating its staff about the ongoing COVID19 vaccination programme.
On Thursday, Nutrition Surveillance Coordinator, in the Ministry of Health Latoya Matthew-Duncan, made a presentation to the staff at the TDC Training Room on Fort Street.
Immediately following the session, a Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic led by Nurse Williams-Campbell was held to administer the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
The first dose was administered to Mr. Earle Kelly, Group Chairman, followed by senior managers and other staff who volunteered.
According to Mr. Kelly, “the COVID-19 vaccination program, like all similar programs in the past is very important to ensure the protection and long-term health and well-being of our staff, customers, and by extension their families.”
He added, “TDC continues to play our part in achieving the seventy percent (70%) target, in the short term, to return to normalcy and re-open the economy fully.”
A similar session is already being organized for the staff on Nevis.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 03, 2021 (SKNIS): St. Kitts and Nevis’ Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws, sought to allay concerns about the time frame of the development of the COVID-19 vaccines, which has caused some hesitancy among individuals in getting the jab.
At the March 31, 2021, National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) Briefing, Dr. Laws explained that efforts to develop a vaccine started many years ago.
“In 2003, if you recall, we had the SARS Outbreak in Eastern countries and then in 2012, we experienced the MERS Outbreak. Now the SARS and the MERS were all caused by coronaviruses and so the scientists started working with the coronaviruses way back then in an effort to develop an appropriate vaccine against this family of viruses,” the chief medical officer explained.
She said that the SARS CoV-2 virus, which was commonly referred to as the novel coronavirus back then, was isolated, decoded and the genetic information shared with scientists in January 2020 in an effort to develop a suitable vaccine.
The development of highly sophisticated technology, which did not exist decades ago, also improved the development and production of vaccines.
Medical Chief of Staff of the Joseph N. France General Hospital, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, also shared that the global outbreak fuelled greater investment in finding a vaccine.
“There are a number of first world countries that put millions or billions of dollars upfront to the drug companies so that they can help in the development of these vaccines,” he stated.
Persons also willingly stepped forward to be a part of clinical trials for the vaccine given the devastating impact of COVID-19 on populations in the United States, Europe, United Kingdom and other countries.
“These vaccines, they were tested in thousands of persons, more than any other vaccine in the past,” Dr. Wilkinson indicated. “… For all of those reasons, we know that the vaccine is safe so that is one of the reasons why I didn’t hesitate to roll up my sleeve and take the vaccine.”
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Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 23, 2021 (SKNIS): The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is proven safe and effective after a recently concluded study and subsequent report in the United States, said Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris during his monthly Press Conference on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Conference Room.
Prime Minister Harris made the statement in light of reports of blood clots in some persons who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that there is no link between the vaccine shot and an increased risk of developing blood clots.
“AstraZeneca’s vaccine is very safe. About 500,000 doses of this vaccine were made available to the region,” said Prime Minister Harris.
Prime Minister Harris touched briefly on a study that was conducted recently indicating that the vaccine is safe and effective.
“Just yesterday, data was released from a long-awaited USA-based safety study of the AstraZeneca Vaccine. The study confirmed that there is no evidence of increased risk of thromboembolic (blood clotting) events or rare blood clots associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. This is helpful news,” he said. “Additionally, the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization, both have reported that the AstraZeneca vaccine is very safe and has been effective so far. Our own health experts have assured us that the vaccine is very safe. The vaccine that we are using has passed multilayered evaluation by expert panels before it was granted emergency use approval by the prestigious World Health Organization.”
Dr. Harris said that the early actions taken proved effective in controlling the spread of the COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus), adding that the government will continue to work to ensure that such practice remains effective.
“Our early actions helped contain transmission of the virus and kept the people of St. Kitts and Nevis safe. We will continue to explore all avenues to secure additional vaccines through the COVAX Facility and through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms. Our Ministry of Health continues to provide guidance on the procurement of vaccines,” he said.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 18th, 2021 (ZIZ News) Our coverage of the vaccination rollout across St. Kitts continues with a visit to the Molyneux Health Centre.
Merv Ann Thompson filed this report.
The lead community nurse in Molineux, Doris Bradshaw, says she is proud of the number of young persons, opting to get vaccinated in that area.
While there have only been 244 vaccines given since March 3rd, Nurse Bradshaw told ZIZ News on Thursday that the majority has been persons aged 18-40 years.
Nurse Bradshaw said that it is her hope to have as many persons in her area vaccinated ahead of the national June timeline.
She also revealed that she and her team of nurses have been doing walk-throughs in surrounding villages as part of their awareness campaign and have been receiving a favourable response.
Persons who may not be able to visit the health Centre are not left out. She said that they can contact the centre and a home visit would be scheduled, as has been the case with the Grange convalescent home, and in one instance where a patient is disabled.
Nurse Bradshaw urges many to get vaccinated.
Elderly persons have also been vaccinated and are reporting that they feel fine, according to nurse bradshaw, with only one patient having as much as a fever.
…Reporting for ZIZ News, I’m Merv-Ann Thompson.
]]>The Department of Community Development and Social Services will be hosting a COVID-19 Vaccine Sensitization Session and Vaccination Clinic for older persons between the ages 62 and 80 years. The session will be held at the Zion Moravian Church located on Victoria Road on Thursday, March 25th at 9:30 a.m. The Ministry of Education’s School Bus will be available to transport seniors to the session starting at 8:30 a.m. along the island’s main road.
All older persons are encouraged to come with their questions and find out more about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Kindly note that all COVID-19 protocols will be observed.
Persons seeking further information may call our office at 1-869-467-1314.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 05, 2021 (SKNIS): The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis started its vaccination programme with the Oxford University-AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine on February 22, however, Minister of Health, The Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett is advising citizens and residents that adhering to the non-pharmaceutical measures are still important and necessary.
Minister Byron-Nisbett said this during her support of the Bill shortly entitled COVID-19 Prevention and Control (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which was passed into law on March 04, 2021, at a Sitting of Parliament.
The Bill clarified whether a person is properly wearing a face mask. Section Eight, Subsection One, of the Act was replaced with a new one stating “Notwithstanding the provisions of the Small Charges Act, Cap.4.36, in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, when in a public place a person shall wear a face mask covering his or her a) nose b) mouth and c) chin.”
“We won’t be able to ease or relax our non-pharmaceutical measures until we are able to achieve herd immunity, that is, having at least 70 percent of our population vaccinated,” she said during her presentation. “That is why we are here today making this small amendment.”
Minister Byron-Nisbett said that the general public needs to understand that the wearing of masks is still important.
“In order for us to ensure that we maintain our life first approach, we have to step up on our enforcement,” she said. “…What we are trying to achieve is that persons are clear that wearing a mask covering their nose, mouth, and chin is what will be considered to be wearing your mask correctly in public.”
She noted that the amendment to the Bill makes it easier for police officers to enforce the law.
“This allows when the Police approach you and say to you, you are not wearing your mask correctly and I have to ticket you as such, it is by law they would be able to tell you, you are wearing your mask on your chin, that is not wearing your mask,” she stated. “You are wearing your mask around your neck, that is not wearing your mask; you are wearing your mask on your forehead, that is not what this Bill means when it says wearing a mask.”
She emphasized that wearing a mask means that persons are covering their nose, mouth, and chin.
She added that in Part Three of the Bill would make some amendments to Schedule Eight, which speaks to the Fixed Penalty Notice Ticket. The fixed penalty is $100 for persons who are not wearing their masks correctly.
“The whole purpose of this amendment is to make sure that people understand the non-pharmaceutical measures that we have been taking are what have been saving us thus far,” she said. “We cannot ease up on those measures because we have begun rolling out the vaccine. We are not yet in a position to ease up on our non-pharmaceutical measures because we do not have enough persons vaccinated.”
Minister Byron-Nisbett said that for the country to get back to a sense of normalcy, that is, not having to worry about wearing a mask and concerned about being ticketed, persons should consider taking the vaccine.
As of March 4, 2021, 2689 persons have been vaccinated with the Oxford University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, according to Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws.
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