COVID-19: Press Conference – March 13, 2021 (PMO)

Efforts are ongoing to ensure the inoculation of persons aged 70 and over, who have registered and are yet to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

During this evening’s press conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Chairman of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on COVID-19, Senator Dr. Jerome Walcott, assured that remedial action was being taken, as he responded to a question about the concerns raised about the appointment system.

The National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme began last month, with the initial focus being frontline workers, and the most vulnerable – the elderly and those in the 18 to 69 age category with chronic illnesses. Persons were required to register via email or WhatsApp, and await official word about their appointments.

Minister Walcott sought to reassure those who were yet to be contacted, stating: “The Vaccination Committee recognised the issues in that initial system and they are working assiduously to rectify the situation.”

Reiterating that the primary focus remained the protection of those over the age of 70, he explained that authorities were working to address outstanding vaccinations “by going through the records first to identify those persons, before they put in place another system of appointments”.

“They want to deal with persons who were already in the system,” Senator Walcott said. He indicated that a new appointment system would be implemented soon and the information would be communicated to the public.

According to Minister Walcott, approximately 51,200 persons had been vaccinated to date.

nya.phillips@barbados.gov.bb

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