Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 06, 2021 (SKNIS): Today’s safe and effective vaccines are the way out of the COVID-19 Pandemic, yet the extent of misinformation and disinformation around them has been significant. As such, Dr. Cuthbert Sebastian Jr., Emergency Room Physician at the Joseph Nathaniel France (JNF) General Hospital, encouraged the general public to always use reliable sources.
Regarding information on COVID-19, Dr. Sebastian Jr. advised people to visit the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) websites for reliable and up-to-date information.
“I usually tell them to go to the World Health Organization as a good source of information, reason being is, it is a non-biased source of information, it is not for any one country, it is an organization just focused on health and I think that is the most important topic of the day especially in the times of the pandemic and that is where I advise people to go,” said Dr. Sebastian Jr. “There is also CARPHA. They are going to give you some good information as well. These would be the two websites I would recommend individuals to go and look for themselves and see what is going on.”
Additionally, persons are also encouraged to visit the local Ministry of Health Facebook page for reliable and credible information. Dr. Sebastian Jr. does not encourage anyone to visit science-oriented websites “because that type of information may be misinterpreted or misunderstood if you are not trained to understand it.”
He noted that although he gathers information from reliable sources, he always backchecks to make sure the information he is receiving is credible.
“Regarding all of the information people are receiving, whether it is disinformation or misinformation, or the right information, and I know there is a lot of information coming your way, even I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information coming my way I always try to align myself with sources that I know are reliable and even if I think this source is reliable I always backcheck with another reliable source that I know. This is a way that I can weed out misinformation and disinformation,” said Dr. Sebastian Jr.
Dr. Sebastian Jr. referred to a news headline from CNN with a statement from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, when he checked CDC’s website there was no information regarding what was seen on CNN.
“So, you have to be careful even with the reputable sources that you may come across that there may be some disinformation or misinformation on them. It is always good to backcheck,” he said. “And you have to remember that social media, for example, anyone can post anything on social media, and they can do a lot of damage with that.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 29, 2021 (SKNIS): Chief Executive Officer of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, Raquel Brown, says vaccination is our only hope as the Federation looks forward to opening up the borders.
She added, “We are at this time in the global space adjusting to still so much and learning so much about the pandemic.”
Ms. Brown said, “The Prime Minister just made an announcement as it relates to vaccinated travellers and the reduction of quarantine and so we know that there would be a lot of questions put towards the Chief Medical Officer, Dr., and also the Federal COVID-19 Task Force as to how we would proceed.”.
“However, we have to realise that still we are in a pandemic and it doesn’t mean that we get to proceed without taking caution. If we do not take every step to mitigate what is happening, we can end up like Anguilla and there are many other countries within the Caribbean that are known tourism destinations that still have community spread,” she stated.
“So for us in the Tourism industry for both the Ministry of Tourism and the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, we are really pleading with our Tourism stakeholders to understand that the only way for everyone to benefit from tourism and have the impact of the trickle-down effect that it does provide for even the mechanic who used to repair busses for taxi operators that no longer is doing that,” Ms. Brown added.
“We cannot turn to some point in time what 2019 was where we ended a million cruise ship passengers and we had over a hundred and thirty thousand stayover visitors,” she said.
“For us to go back to those days of 2019, we have to look to an answer and an answer that we have only available is a vaccination that would allow tourists to come here, enjoy themselves to reduce the risk of our nationals, and our residents from exposing themselves to higher risk and also themselves being at risk,” she added.
]]>BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, April 28, 2021 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – As part of its phased response to the evolving COVID-19 situation, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, acting on the advice and recommendations of local medical experts, has eased some of the COVID-19 protocols for persons who are fully vaccinated.
The Government describes fully vaccinated persons as individuals who have taken two doses of a 2-dose regimen vaccine.
“Our medical experts have recommended that we reduce the quarantine period for the fully vaccinated inbound air travelers to St Kitts and Nevis from 14 to 9 days effective May 01, 2021. Fully vaccinated cultural/entertainment events can be favourably considered, whereby only fully vaccinated patrons are allowed entrance. Recommended start date week of July 19, 2021,” said Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris on the Tuesday, April 27 edition of Leadership Matters.
Prime Minister Harris continued, “Fully vaccinated cultural/entertainment events can be favourably considered, whereby only fully vaccinated patrons are allowed entrance. Recommended start date week of July 19, 2021.”
The prime minister further noted that mixed cultural/entertainment events, that is events made up of vaccinated and non-vaccinated patrons, must continue to adhere to existing protocols. Weddings, funerals, and church services are being classified as mixed events and must therefore adhere to existing protocols.
Prime Minister Harris also revealed on Tuesday night’s programme that the first cruise ship is expected to return to St. Kitts and Nevis in July 2021.
“A speedy path to vaccination can yield much economic and broader societal benefits for us here in St. Kitts and Nevis. Just as our being low risk for COVID-19 brought our Federation 2 movies so far and 5 more to be filmed, so can we being fully vaccinated yield other economic benefits. Being the first to be fully vaccinated can put us at the top of the list for cruise, and other tourism segments,” Dr. Harris added.
As at the end of day on Tuesday, April 27, a total of 12,298 persons were administered their first dose of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, 9,326 doses administered on St. Kitts and 2,972 doses administered on Nevis.
]]>BASSETERRE (22nd April, 2021): St. Kitts & Nevis is pleased to announce its inclusion on the itinerary of the Seabourn Odyssey, a ship in the ultra-luxury Seabourn cruise line, which resumes Caribbean sailings late July, 2021.
The 7-day itinerary includes Antigua, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Maarten.
The Odyssey will be calling in St. Kitts every week and is our first scheduled port of call for the phased re-opening for cruise tourism, announced Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism, Transport and Ports today.
“We look forward to welcoming Seabourn Odyssey to St. Kitts. The benefits of the cruise industry have been vital to the economies of St. Kitts & Nevis and we are delighted to welcome our first vessel back, as we begin our phased approach to resume cruise tourim,” said Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism, Transport and Ports. “
It has been a long 13 months and the re-opening of cruise signals the continued rebuilding of tourism and our economy. We see our cruise industry returning with a fervor and we are working hard to ensure it happens safely, proficiently and promptly.
While not the official opening of the cruise sector, which is projected for October 2021, later this year, when St. Kitts and Nevis would have achieved herd immunity. The minimum protocols for any cruise ship, visiting in St. Kitts & Nevis include:
The Ministry of Tourism and St. Kitts Tourism Authority are currently working with all taxi/tour operators and attractions, to ensure compliance with the vaccination requirements, health and safety protocols for cruise to be Travel Approved.
“We continue to work with our stakeholders on the resumption of cruise, just as we did for the phased reopening for Stay Over on October 31st, 2020,” said Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “Safety of our nationals, residents and visitor remains a top priority for us and we are working to ensure passengers can enjoy the exceptional and diverse attributes of the destination and can have a memorable shore experience while being confident in their safety.”
Seabourn is recognized as one of the world’s leading luxury cruise lines. Its boutique ships are known for their all-suite accommodations and their industry-leading service. Known for providing its guests with unique experiences, selecting St. Kitts as a destination on its itinerary reinforces the island’s position as an attractive destination that offers guests one-of-a-kind experiences.
St. Kitts & Nevis closed its borders on March 25, 2020 and reopened to international travel on October 31, 2020 with some of the most comprehensive travel requirements in the region. To-date, the Federation has reported only 44 confirmed cases of Covid, with no community spread and no deaths. As of today 11,848, people have been vaccinated.
In recent years St. Kitts has become a major cruise destination. The island’s attractions such as the UNESCO World Heritage recognized Brimstone Hill Fortress, the St. Kitts Scenic Railway, and Caribelle Batik where artisans maintain the ancient wax-dye method are unique experiences that continue to attract visitors.
]]>BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, April 21, 2021 (MMS-SKN) — While production of sugar on a commercial basis ceased in St. Kitts in 2005 to provide greater opportunities for expansion in non-sugar agriculture, Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris is pointing out the Covid-19 experience has solidified the realisation that the country needs to produce more of what people consume.
“Agriculture has seen a budding revival over the last several years,” said Prime Minister Harris. “The onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic has reminded us of the very important need to be able to feed ourselves.”
The Honourable Prime Minister made the remarks on Tuesday April 20 when he appeared on the popular Leadership Matters on ZIZ Television with four other panellists, where the topic of discussion was ‘agriculture and food security’, which he said was one of most important considerations for the country at this time.
Panellists with Prime Minister Harris on Leadership Matters were Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture et al, Mr Ron Collins; Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Tracy Challenger-Clarke; Technical Specialist, St. Kitts and Nevis IICA Delegation, Ms Sharon Jones; and a longstanding farmer, Mr Winston Morris.
According to the Prime Minister, the Covid-19 experience solidified the realisation that the country needs to produce more of what it consumes. After the Government became cognisant of the fears of the people it responded to protect the population against supply chain being negatively affected by ensuring that it systematically diversified source markets for food including poultry, meat and fish while it aggressively worked to near self-sufficiency in those staples.
“This is why as part of the stimulus package my Government allocated ten million dollars to boost agriculture and agricultural production,” said Dr Harris. “Building on the commitment made to expand our agricultural base, we in our 2021 budget, allocated $5 million to continue the stimulus programme for the agriculture sector.”
The concessions the Team Unity Administration delivered to the sector are bearing fruit as there has seen increased production, and interest in crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries. He pointed out that fisheries output recorded a 3.6 percent increase in 2020 after an 83 percent reduction in output in April 2020, which was a direct consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated curfews and lockdowns, which brought fisheries to a standstill.
“Over the past almost six years, my Administration has given much, and will further increase its support to the sector,” said Dr Harris. “Indeed the 2021 allocation of just over ten million dollars plus a further five million for the stimulus programme represents the largest budgetary allocation to the sector in a very long time.”
Prime Minister Harris said that he understood the vital importance of the sector to the country and economy, and also the challenges. He noted that he appreciated the vast potential of the agricultural sector to contribute to the country’s sustainable growth and development.
He however pointed out that for this to be achieved there must be a focused goal, and a cohesive strategy, and that way the country can produce more and better quality products for the population to consume domestically, and for export. He added that better quality foods lead to improvement in people’s health condition, which in turn should mean lower healthcare costs, as the population’s health is critical to the nation’s wealth.
According to Dr Harris, working together the farmers can create more jobs within the sector, wealth for the people and a source of foreign exchange for the country.
“Before concluding I must again encourage all farmers and fishers to get vaccinated,” said the Honourable Prime Minister. “Do it to minimise the risks of contracting Covid-19 or transmitting Covid-19 to anyone. Do it for yourselves, do it for your families and very importantly do it to put our country on a sustained path to recovery. Do it to facilitate our herd immunity target being realised, which in turn will lead to more business opportunities at our hotels and at other business places.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 15, 2021 (SKNIS): As part of the government’s ongoing efforts to protect the health of citizens and residents and resuscitate the tourism-based economy, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, continues to advise the general public to get vaccinated as quickly as possible.
Prime Minister Harris made another pitch to the general public to get vaccinated during the virtual forum series ‘Leadership Matters’ on April 13.
“Our economy is driven, in a significant part, by tourism. Last year, we saw the serious impact that arises from having no tourists—our hotels closed, persons lost their jobs, our Severance Fund has unprecedented claims and the Federal Government has to supplement the Fund,” he said.“As part of our plan to protect your jobs and to protect our economy, we must ensure that our country is as ready as we can to welcome tourists.”
He added: “The more people who are vaccinated, the safer persons feel about travelling, studying, and investing in our country. It was our safety which brought MSR Productions here and with it, we will benefit from six movies. It is our safety that brought back 650 Ross University students.”
He said that it was imperative that adults 18 years and older get vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity so that the Federation’s economy can fully open up.
“It means more jobs can be created and more opportunities will arise, especially for our young people,” said Prime Minister Harris.
He said that nothing can be more concerning than having no jobs and putting oneself at risk for contracting COVID-19, saying that some persons are “playing political games, putting their own needs ahead of your health.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 14th 2021 (ZIZ News) Cruise ships will return to St. Kitts in a phased approach in June.
The announcement was made by Minister of Tourism Hon. Lindsay Grant at a Tourism stakeholders meeting on Wednesday where he said the Ministry has been in discussion with the Ministry of Health and the Tourism Authority.
He said vaccinated tours and attractions are the pathway to full recovery, noting that cruise passengers and persons interacting with them will have to be vaccinated as part of the phased approach.
“The phased approach is going to be that any cruise line that comes to St. Kitts and Nevis, all the crew will have to be vaccinated and all the passengers likewise will have to be vaccinated. Now what does that mean? Obviously it means that likewise, we are going to have to be vaccinated and so the policy going forward for us will be that any purveyors of the industry will have to be vaccinated.”
The Tourism Minister said all requests for cruise ships must come through the St. Kitts Tourism Authority during this phase, and outlined the requirements.
“All crew and passengers over the age of 18 years must be vaccinated; children under 18 must present a negative RT PCR test within 72 hours prior to home port disembarkation and negative RT PCR tests taken 72 hours prior to home port departure for all on board guests and crew. All travel approved tours and attractions, employees and agents interfacing and interacting with the vessels and engaging in tours must be vaccinated.”
Minister Grant noted that while it is necessary to reach 100% immunity in the tourism sector, vaccination is not mandatory.
“We are not making vaccination mandatory, so let me put it quite clearly so that we don’t have any miscommunication in the message,” he said. “We are not saying that the vaccination is mandatory. We are saying to you as a policy, we are asking the employers to make sure employers are vaccinated and that every single employee who will come into contact with the passengers and the crew are likewise vaccinated.”
He said staff who do not take the vaccine will be required to take an RT PCR Test at their own cost every two weeks.
Tour operators on island will be required to agree to random testing or testing requirements decided by the Chief Medical Officer at the employer’s or employee’s expense.
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Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 09, 2021 (SKNIS): Since the roll-out of its COVID-19 vaccination programme on February 22, less than two months ago, St. Kitts & Nevis has done better with its vaccination programme than many countries in the developed and developing world, continuing with its stellar management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country has only recorded a meagre 44 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with all cases recovered and no serious hospitalization of persons, although its JNF General Hospital in St. Kitts and Alexandra Hospital in Nevis, have been prepared with several ventilators, pharmaceuticals, and specialist healthcare workers even before there were one positive case. On top of that, the country’s astute management of the virus has not resulted in one death, a rarity globally.
While there are challenges in persuading citizens and residents in taking the jab, just like many countries around the world battling a ferocious misinformation and disinformation campaign, the country is doing well in vaccinating 10, 391 persons in just 47 days, reaching 31.45 percent of its target population of 33, 037 persons, who would make up the 70 percent required for herd immunity. The other 30 percent are under the age of 18 and not eligible to take the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, which is the only vaccine being offered in the country through COVAX, a global initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines led by UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and others.
As of April 7, 2021, the Health Emergency Operations Center (HEOC) Situation Report stated that Antigua & Barbuda had only vaccinated with one dose 27.4 percent of its population; Barbados 22.2; Dominica 24.6; Grenada 9.2; Montserrat 30.8; Saint Lucia 12.1; and St. Vincent and the Grenadines 9.7 percent. Canada had only vaccinated 16 percent of its population with one dose, the USA 33 percent, and the United Kingdom 48 percent. However, it must be noted that their vaccination roll-out programmes began weeks ahead of St. Kitts & Nevis’.
The Ministry of Health has been hosting Vaccination Information Sessions to address citizens and residents genuine concerns with respect to taking the vaccination especially over concerns seen in the news, the fact that the vaccines are new, and that the world had not seen a pandemic in a century.
However, an important milestone was achieved when the Ministry of Health not only met its target of vaccinating 10, 000 persons by April 16 but even surpassed it by almost 400 persons.
St. Kitts and Nevis is on the road to economic recovery and as the country continues with its vaccination programme, which is crucial to that recovery, business leaders, church leaders, and public sector officials are encouraged to persuade those in their charge to take the jab.
Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, in speaking to a gathering of business executives and senior-level government officials at a forum at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel on April 9, 2021, to discuss the socio-economic recovery of the country, said that the road to that recovery relies heavily on the successful roll-out of the vaccination programme.
“The vaccines are now here but it is relying upon you and me to make the right decision if we are to get the [pandemic] behind us and that in itself poses a challenge. It poses a challenge for the overall trajectory of the country because the actions of one individual or a few individuals could determine whether or not we recover fast or we recover slowly. That is why we need to have all hands on deck, all involved and that is why the philosophy that we developed of an all-of-society response, which has kept us safe with the best record among independent countries in the hemisphere, that philosophy must continue even now,” he said.
“It’s a long journey but every step is an important one that gets us to the goal of herd immunity – the 70 percent target that we have set for ourselves and we need to commend each other and encourage each other for doing good. Taking the vaccination is not just about individual and individual rights. Taking the vaccination is an act of selflessness, in my view, it is an act of patriotism because the very act can determine how far we go, how soon we will get there, whether 2000-plus people in the tourism industry will be able to get to work again depends on whether or not the taxi drivers, those in our restaurants, those in our schools get themselves vaccinated,” Prime Minister Harris added.
]]>BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, April 09, 2021 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris led another round of informative and productive discussions between the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and representatives of the private sector on Thursday, April 08, this time with a focus on the nation’s safe economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The private sector representatives came from businesses in the tourism, manufacturing, and retail sectors in St. Kitts and Nevis.
The Government has long maintained that all stakeholders, particularly the private sector, must be included in national discussions on an effective path to full economic recovery post COVID-19.
Prime Minister Harris told the gathering of business executives and senior level government officials that the nation’s recovery relies heavily on the successful roll-out of the vaccination programme.
He said, “The vaccines are now here but it is relying upon you and me to make the right decision if we are to get the [pandemic] behind us, and that in itself poses a challenge. It poses a challenge for the overall trajectory of the country because the actions of one individual or a few individuals could determine whether or not we recover fast or we recover slowly. That is why we need to have all hands on deck, all involved and that is why the philosophy that we developed of an all-of-society response, which has kept us safe with the best record among independent countries in the hemisphere, that philosophy must continue even now.”
It was in that regard that the prime minister reiterated his call to the business community to strongly encourage all its employees to be inoculated as soon as possible.
“It’s a long journey but every step is an important one that gets us to the goal of herd immunity – the 70 percent target that we have set for ourselves and we need to commend each other and encourage each other for doing good. Taking the vaccination is not just about individual and individual rights. Taking the vaccination is an act of selflessness, in my view it is an act of patriotism because the very act can determine how far we go, how soon we will get there, whether 2000-plus people in the tourism industry will be able to get to work again depends on whether or not the taxi drivers, those in our restaurants, those in our schools get themselves vaccinated,” Prime Minister Harris said.
Presentations at Wednesday’s dialogue were also made by the Financial Secretary, Mrs. Hilary Hazel, the President of the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Mrs. Giselle Matthews, and by the Ministry of Health.
Also in attendance were Cabinet Ministers the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett, the Honourable Lindsay Grant, the Honourable Eugene Hamilton, the Honourable Jonel Powell, and the Honourable Wendy Phipps, as well as Ambassador His Excellency Vance Amory.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 7, 2021 (SKNIS): Medical Chief of Staff at the JNF General Hospital, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, says the Federation of St.Kitts and Nevis is aiming for a full reopening in October of 2021.
He said this on April 6 during the virtual forum series ‘Leadership Matters’ hosted by the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris
Dr. Wilkinson said, “The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has done exceedingly well in the fight against COVID-19, and we are grateful that to date we have had no major hospitalisations nor deaths from the virus.”
“As you move towards the full reopening sometime in October, we can expect the virus to return and re-enter our communities,” he added.
“The difference now compared to the early days in the fight is that we have a vaccine available that can protect us,” he said. “We understand the hesitancy of some due in part by the misunderstanding or the misinformation.”
Dr. Wilkinson congratulated “the near 10,000 persons who stepped forward and did the right thing and got their first shot taking us to nearly 30% of the target population.”
He encouraged the population to continue to do the right thing outlining that the vaccine is free, highly efficacious and effective, a lifesaver, safe, and protective of those around you and the vulnerable.
He said also that the Federation needs 70-90% of the population to be vaccinated to protect the Federation’s health systems, keep the population financially strong, help to prevent fake news, and get back to normalcy in the quickest way possible.
]]>BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, April 06, 2021 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis will be receiving its share of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility later today, Tuesday, April 06, 2021.
The COVAX Facility, to which St. Kitts and Nevis is a member, is a global effort co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Officials from the Ministry of Health have confirmed that the country will receive its full total of 21,600 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine today as a result of its participation in the global alliance.
The Federation secured its portion of vaccines through the arrangement by paying the required sum of US$223,660. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) paid US$96,163 on behalf of the Federation while the Government paid the balance of US$127,497.
The vaccines will be received during a brief ceremony at the RLB International Airport.
As at Saturday, April 03, a total of 9,540 doses of the vaccine were administered to citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis, representing 28.88 percent of 70 percent of the Government’s target population.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 07, 2021 (SKNIS): Persons receiving a jab of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine are encouraged to bring along a friend or two, who are also willing to get vaccinated to avoid delays at health centers across the Federation.
One vial of the vaccine is used to provide 10 jabs. Given the limited global supply and rising demands, local health officials are mindful to carefully manage the vaccines.
“We really do not want to waste any of the doses, and so I want to recommend that if you are coming for your vaccine bring nine other persons with you,” Dr. Laws stated on the April 06, 2021 edition of the virtual forum series Leadership Matters.
St. Kitts and Nevis received a donation of 2,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from Dominica on February 11, 2021. This was administered primarily to frontline workers. On March 01, an additional 20,000 doses were added to the national supply following a generous donation from India. Of that 20, 000 vaccines, 2,000 were given as a gift to Grenada.
As of last evening, Dr. Laws said that 9,774 first doses were administered to individuals. In St. Kitts, 7,325 persons have received a jab while, in Nevis, the number is 2,449.
Another 21,600 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine arrived in St. Kitts today, April 07, 2021. The supply was purchased from the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility.
“The vaccines are free to the people in the Federation, but they come at a high cost,” Dr. Laws stated.
The Chief Medical Officer encouraged persons to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect persons from getting severely ill or dying from COVID-19.
]]>BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, April 07, 2021 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis received its full complement of 21,600 doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility today (Wednesday, April 06).
The 21,600 doses of vaccine from the COVAX Facility, in addition to the 20,000 doses received courtesy the Government of India, now allows for St. Kitts and Nevis to fully vaccinate 20,800 persons – representing 62 percent of the target population of 33,236.
Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, while speaking at a special ceremony at the RLB International Airport to mark the arrival of the vaccines, said the additional doses of vaccine have now put St. Kitts and Nevis further along the path to recovery.
“We were up to a couple weeks back faced with the challenge that we had no vaccines. Today, we are closer to ensuring that our future can be safer and better as a result of this further supply,” Prime Minister Harris said.
The prime minister went on to thank the COVAX Facility for fulfilling its commitment to the Federation, noting that, “It is because of their collaborative efforts, both at the global and hemispheric level, between all of the foregoing entities and other agencies that Nations like St. Kitts and Nevis can receive this support that we need in the fight against COVID-19.”
The COVAX Facility is a global effort co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
With these additional doses now available free of cost to the people, Prime Minister Harris made another appeal to citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis to step forward and accept the vaccine.
“None can dare say that what we have here is not an existential threat to our wellbeing, our way of life, the way we do things. It has been so for over a year now and it is time for us to awaken to the reality that life has to go back to some sense of normalcy. The mask wearing, and all those things which we can’t do, which we had loved so much and for which we have to find better ways of doing until we get ourselves vaccinated, we can’t change course,” the prime minister said.
St. Kitts and Nevis secured its portion of vaccines through the COVAX Facility by paying the required sum of US$223,660. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) paid US$96,163 on behalf of the Federation while the Government paid the balance of US$127,497.
At the end of day on Tuesday, April 06, a total of 9,774 persons were administered their first dose of the vaccine. This represents 29.6 percent of the Government’s target population.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 1st, 2021 (ZIZ News) The Ministry of Health’s Covid-19 information sessions continued on Wednesday in Sandy Point, where health officials sensitized the public on the Covid-19 virus and vaccines.
Health Educator in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Mathias Ofre provided a history of vaccines and debunked any misinformation persons may have had about the virus or vaccine.
As it relates to the vaccine, Dr. Ofre informed that there were no short cuts taken during the manufacturing process of the vaccines noting that it went through all the processes to be approved for use.
“There was no shortcut whatsoever, it doesn’t take 5, 10 years to make a vaccine. You can make a vaccine in a month but it has to go through a trial phase and after that trial phase which starts with animals and then a given number of humans-lets says 20 to 50 something and then it will move to thousands of people that would be tried.”
He said after this trial period it will then move to regulatory bodies for research to ensure that the vaccine is effective.
“Then after that trial phase it will then be released to regulatory bodies that will also do their further investigation to ensure the proof you have about your vaccine or your medication is actually factual and true-data proven and then other bigger regulatory bodies like the world health organization will assess it and then give you authorization or certify it for use.”
The information sessions will continue in Tabernacle at the Community Center on Tuesday April 6th at 6:30pm.
]]>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.
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