70,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines for 35,000 people have arrived at the Douglas Charles Airport on Tuesday evening. The vaccines will be stored at the central medical stores and the Ministry of Health will begin vaccinating people on February 22. PM Roosevelt Skerrit, Foreign Affairs Minister Kenneth Darroux, and acting Health Minister Kent Edwards among other cabinet officials were on hand to receive the vaccines.
The vaccines were donated by the government of India after the DLP administration appealed to them for assistance. PM Skerrit heartily thanked PM Narendra Modi of India for the drugs and also appreciated the many scientists that devoted their life to research and manufacture the vaccines. With the delivery of the drugs, Skerrit said Dominica will embark on the “largest vaccination campaign in modern history.”
Kent Edwards expressed assurance that the health ministry will record significant success in administering the vaccines to people, given the success recorded with similar vaccinations in the past. He tasked everyone to make themselves available for the exercise, adding that frontline healthcare workers will be vaccinated first.
“I have been advised by the ministry of health that we will start the vaccination exercise on February 22,” Skerrit said. “We will ensure as advised by the ministry of health that frontline workers will be the first to receive the vaccines and also senior citizens who are at risk and members of cabinet and parliament. I have been ensured by the ministry of health that all systems have been put in place to ensure that recipients of the vaccine will be diligently monitored throughout their vaccination process.”
The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination is administered in two doses. The second dose is administered three months after the first dose. The protective properties of the first dose become active in three weeks after it is administered. Skerrit has stated that he will be among the first set of people to get the vaccination in order to reassure members of the public on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines.
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