Over 10,000 vaccines now in more than 7,700 arms

| 02/02/2021 | 42 Comments
Cayman News Service
HSA vaccination certificate

(CNS): Public Health officials have given the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to 7,723 people, while 2,339 have received their second jab. With more than 10,000 shots now administered, Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee said he was pleased with the take-up of the vaccine plan. Meanwhile, positive cases of the virus among travellers continue, with another two cases reported today pushing up the overall tally to exactly 400 cases since testing began.

Among a batch of 219 results, the two new cases of the virus were in asymptomatic travellers, presumably new arrivals, but one or both could also have tested positive at the end of their two-week quarantine, as Public Health is still not reporting these details with the daily figures. Either way, the two individuals will remain in isolation along with another 743 travellers.

There are now 30 active cases of COVID-19 in Cayman and six of those individuals who have tested positive are showing symptoms, though none of them have been hospitalised.

Dr Lee thanked everyone who has stepped forward so far to be vaccinated. “I encourage those of you who are eligible to take it,” he said. “The vaccine is a great tool in our fight against this deadly disease, and in time, as travel increases, it will protect us from COVID-19’s deadliest effects. Please help protect our whole community and have the vaccine when you are eligible.”

His plea comes just days after Premier Alden McLaughlin warned that the vaccine may not be effective against all of the more infections strains of the virus now spreading around the world, as well as other mutations yet to appear. McLaughlin has warned that government’s plan to open the border at the end of next month has been undermined by the more infectious strains and the border plans were under review.


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Category: Health, Medical Health

Comments (42)

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  1. Annie says:

    I work in retail. Arguably front line. Every day I have customers coming in with tailes of tourists and young people getting the vaccine. I am appalled. I am waiting my turn, and think this unfair.

  2. Anonymous says:

    The only sure-fire way to clear this pandemic, is for the leaders of the world to agree on a coordinated start date and duration for “the Great Lockdown 2021”, and get on with it. The 20H/501Y.V2 variant is everywhere now, reducing the efficacy of even the Pfizer jab to a coin toss, undermining hopes for herd immunity. The troubling newer variants need to be starved of new hosts in the same way as the original virus – through concerted temporary public health lockdowns, PCR testing, and metered re-introductions of movements and interactions. The longer that effort is differed, the more mutated variants will emerge. It sucks, but that’s the way out, and we in Cayman already know that. The sooner the rest of the world figures this out, the cheaper it will be, and the quicker the survivors will be able to get back to a semblance of normalcy.

  3. Say it like it is says:

    My concern is that I suspect the majority of senior citizens who have been vaccinated are expats or of expat origin, because a significant number Caymanian seniors are refusing the vaccine for religious or mistrustful reasons.
    I am an expat and base my comments on my observations at the vaccination lines and in chatting with older Caymanians. Does Govt have any figures that might shed light on this, as if it is true we will have a problem.The Minister of Health even , was a disbeliever and only “believed” when he realised refusal was incompatible with his appointment.
    We must do everything we can to persuade everyone to take the vaccine.

  4. Anonymous says:

    CNS says that approx 57% of the elderly on island have received a vaccine. What are the rest waiting for? I’m honestly interested.

    CNS: I know you meant to say CNS – see here – so I changed that for you.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Why are we not opening up the vaccinations to anyone that wants them. It is is crazy how they are being distributed. They tell us it is only for the most vulnerable yet anyone young or old seems to be able to get it as long as you know someone.

    We should have a Caymanian only line just like we do at immigration and allow Caymanians that want to get it to do so. It is not fair to be giving it to people who are not invested here or lying and saying they have underlying conditions.

    Call me entitled, but Caymanians, status holders and permanent residents should be the first in line.

    • Anonymous says:

      You realize that it only makes sense to do the most vulnerable and frontline workers first.

      This aligns the level of protection to the actual risk of exposure or a bad outcome.

      Doing this based on your concept of Nationality and worthiness makes this all less effective.

      P.S. status holders are Caymanians.

    • Anonymous says:

      So according to you a nurse who is not fitting in the categories you outlined should not be allowed to get the vaccine among the first? Unbelievable…

    • Anonymous says:

      It’s a pity that xenophobia and paranoid delusions aren’t applicable preconditions, or you’d surely have had your first injection by now.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Does anyone know if any more vaccine is arriving on the Feb 11th BA flight? Otherwise next flight after that is Feb 25th.

    • Anonymous says:

      You shouldn’t really be getting any more until the UK has proportionally vaccinated as many of its population. You’re very lucky to be getting any at all when you have extremely low infection rates and over 1000 people per day are currently dying in the UK.

      • Anonymous says:

        The UK is at approximately 13% of the population getting first dose and Cayman at about 11%. Another shipment on Feb 11th would keep us on pace with the UK population. A deferral to Feb 28th will put us well behind.

      • Anonymous says:

        Makes me think why.

      • Anonymous says:

        We shouldn’t get more?? Every single day for the past week, the UK gave a vaccine shot to over 3,000,000 people. Cayman is only 0.09% of the UK’s population and only did 10,000 so far!

        You want overseas territory? Well it comes with responsibilities. You greedy brits act like you want to raise children but don’t want to feed them.

        • Anonymous says:

          😂🤣 so funny!

          • Anonymous says:

            It’s really only funny to the ignorant. The UK doesn’t “want” the OTs.

            • Anonymous says:

              Yep. Also interested in why the Brits are called “greedy” when they receive absolutely zero from their OTs, but get the collateral damage when we breach international treaty obligations and implied obligation to bail out the OTs, whether its giving them free vaccine, taking over the entire administration of the territory when it proves that the premier is a crook, or launching judicial enquiries into corruption.

              • Anonymous says:

                The public is receiving it free but don’t get it twisted, gov paid for them through public health.

            • Anonymous says:

              Cayman offers an extremely strategic position for the UK Navy and its allies.

        • Anonymous says:

          LOL. Maybe you should wait for the Cayman vaccine then. The point, if it wasn’t obvious, is that the UK has given us proportionately the same number of vaccines as they have for themselves yet they clearly have far greater need for them. Greedy? Wow. Your post is dripping with self entitlement.

      • Anonymous says:

        Quite sad but whose fault is that? Boris Johnson failed to act quickly enough in the first instance and then later did not adhere to a strict enough and long enough lock-down. Don’t blame us if UK screwed-up their situation. We’re entitled to the vaccine just as rightfully as UK residents!!

        I have dear friends in UK and Scotland who are living in a prolonged lockdown and are very P/O’d about the UK’s situation because of their politics.

  7. Anonymous says:

    When the 20th century started, the mass of objects produced by humans was around 3% of the world’s total biomass. By 2020, the quantity of human-made mass was about 1.1 teratonnes (1,100,000,000,000 tonnes)—more than the overall global biomass.

    The pandemic didn’t change human behavior. Useless man made, like this A1 size laminated certificate, stuff is continuing being produced, further depleting earth resources and increasing human-made-mass.

    Whose brilliant idea it was to come up with such certificates? Mother Earth weeps 🌍

  8. Anonymous says:

    And still none in students returning to the UK

    • Anonymous says:

      They shouldn’t be returning. Full stop.

    • Anonymous says:

      Why are students here looking to return to the U.K. in February?!? Which school/uni is open & expecting them back this month? SMH

    • Anonymous says:

      If you are worried about your child returning to the UK, then continue to study remotely for the balance of the school year.

    • Anonymous says:

      Good! They’re not in a high risk group and should NOT get to skip ahead of vulnerable persons. If you’re so worried about it, why are you letting them go to the UK? Aren’t all their schools closed anyway?

    • Anonymous says:

      Why on earth would anyone want to go to the UK in February even in a normal year let alone straight into a lockdown. Live at mum and dads, get up early, study remotely, go meet your friends at the beach…

    • Anonymous says:

      Why should your students get free vaccinations when UK ones can’t, exactly?

      • Anonymous says:

        Because they are currently in a jurisdiction that provides vaccination? Are you saying that because students in the UK are not receiving vaccinations that the ones that left to come back to Cayman should not?

        • anon says:

          1.44pm What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If Britain decided to provide vaccinations to every tourist that visited the UK are we to do the same?.

    • Anonymous says:

      I left uni in 2017. Feel like I dodged a bullet.

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree with this, and I am beginning to find the “just don’t send them” comments frustrating and tiresome. Not every school is fully online. Not every student learns well online. Some programmes cannot be taught properly online. These students and their families are making difficult decisions. We are not talking about primary schoolers here, these are for the most part young adults in the most formative and important years of their educations. These students represent some of Cayman’s best and brightest, deserve our support and yes, vaccinations for the relatively small number who decide it’s best for them to be physically in the UK now.

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