Saba News News and Information from Saba Island, Dutch Caribbean
So far, some 1,000 residents have registered for vaccination against the coronavirus COVID-19, Island Governor Jonathan Johnson said in an update.
Based on communication from the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sport in the Netherlands, Saba will receive the vaccines next week. The Outbreak Management Team (OMT) and Saba Health Care Foundation are busy getting the logistics in place, the governor said.
The plan is to start the vaccination process in the week of February 22 at Eugenius Johnson Center in Windwardside for the first round of vaccination, which is estimated to take about six to seven days. The second round of vaccinations will take place about a month later. Persons will receive time slots to go and receive their vaccination.
Governor Johnson urged everyone that has not registered for the vaccine as yet to do so. “We are not trying to force the vaccine on anyone, but registration helps us with the planning of the vaccination days, and we want to ensure that we get enough vaccines for the entire adult population. Currently, some 1,000 persons have registered, and that is very good so far,” he said.
Government employees will have the opportunity to leave their job to be vaccinated. Johnson said he hoped that other employers would follow.
He said that the government met with the Creole-speaking community on Monday, February 1, and with Spanish-speaking residents on Thursday, February 4, to inform them about the vaccination process and to answer questions.
GIS.
Very good! But still 400 adults who haven’t registered. I wonder why. Let’s hope it’s only a communication problem and no other motivation.
We must be aware that Dutch government could send less vaccins if no more registrations are made. For a small society 71% vaccination is too low for security of the health of our own people, but might also be too low for canceling all travel restrictions. Other islands could adapt the opinion that Saba is unsafe. We do not want such an idea to settle!
And no complete vaccination at this first batch, could mean that later consciousness and later will to register could only be possible with a vaccin of another producer. Two different vaccins on a small island makes the health situation less controllable and possibly more unsafe. This could especially occur when addendum vaccins that are not wanted anymore in Europe are send overseas, like the not so good AstraZeneca that doesn’t immunize against the South-African variant. Therefore I hope everybody who hasn’t yet registered for vaccination will rethink and register also.