Over 2000 people have so far had their first dose of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from China.
Co-coordinator of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign Major David Clarke told Barbados TODAY that while the Ministry of Health and Wellness has given over 2000 persons the Sinopharm jab between last Tuesday and Sunday. Monday’s figures were not available.
Fifteen thousand persons are expected to benefit from the double-dose vaccine donated by the government of China to the people of Barbados.
The ministry held open days for the first doses of the vaccine, starting last Friday permitting people 18 years and over who wanted to get the vaccine to walk into various locations across the island, without an appointment.
Major Clarke was not able to give exact numbers at the time of the interview but he confirmed that Barbadians grasped the opportunity to get their vaccines on the open days.
“I think one day we had like 331 clients and on Saturday we only had one site so we may have only done about 140 clients on Saturday,” he disclosed.
Meanwhile, the co-coordinator said efforts are on to educate Barbadians about the efficacy of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. Major Clarke said providing the evidence allows persons to make informed decisions about receiving not just the Sinopharm, but any type of COVID-19 vaccine, in a country where vaccinations are not compulsory.
He said: “Vaccinations in Barbados are not compulsory but we would like to encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated because it’s for the greater good of the society. I think the take-up for second doses has been going reasonably well but it is important for people to realize that they don’t get the full efficacy of the vaccine until you have the second dose, and 14 days have passed”. (AH)
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