Over 1,100 people turn up for COVID shots
(CNS): The vaccination drive organised by the PACT Government on Saturday appears to have been a great success as hundreds of people turned out to get their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, boosting the stalled national programme and increasing the number of those having had at least one dose to around 38,500, approximately 60% of the entire population. According to early estimations, more than 1,000 of people who came out at the weekend to the airport clinic were getting their first dose of the vaccine, including five members of the government.
Ministers Chris Saunders, Kenneth Bryan and Andre Ebanks, as well as MPs Kathy Ebanks-Wilks and Isaac Rankine all received a dose of the vaccine. While several members of the government, including Premier Wayne Panton, had already been vaccinated, some members of the team had been waiting until after the elections just in case any side effects derailed them during their grueling road to office.
However, CNS has been unable to confirm if Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly has been vaccinated.
The Cayman Islands is not alone in having problems with vaccine hesitancy; the same thing is happening in the United States, where a combination of myths, political disinformation and religious influences are preventing people from getting the shots. To date around the world, there is no established link between any death as a direct result of a person having the Pfizer vaccine.
Around the world 1.3 billion people have now been given some form of vaccination against the virus. Given the amount of vaccine administered, Governor Martyn Roper, who secured the supply of vaccinations for Cayman from the UK, said the time for waiting was over as it was evident taking the shot was far, far safer than risking exposure to COVID-19, which has killed around 3.3 million people over the last 18 months.
PACT organised the vaccine drive to boost take-up. The event included a prize draw, set to take place on 9 June, and hundreds of local businesses have chipped in with the prizes to encourage people to come out and get the shot. Posting on his social media account on Saturday, Roper said he was delighted to see so many people turn out to get the vaccine, noting that it is a precious resource and we need as many people in our community as possible to take it so that the borders can be opened safely.
Panton has said that Cayman will need to begin reopening its borders soon and the vaccine is the only safe route for that. But even then, risks will remain which is why the more people who have received both doses before that happens the better, he said. The premier has confirmed that government is aiming for at least 70% of the entire population having had both shots, which he believes is possible, before discussions about reopening the borders can begin. He said that if government gets clearance from the UK to begin vaccinating 12-15 year olds in the coming weeks, that will ensure that Cayman can overshoot that target.
Speaking to Tina Trumbach from GIS, Panton said Cayman has been fortunate enough to be able to help its people through this pandemic but it is unsustainable and the borders need to open soon.
“What we need now is to continue the spirit from last year,” he said, adding that it was important not to waste existing stocks and get that into people’s arms. He said it was an obligation that we use what we have and warned that making a decision that might lead to people getting sick “was a heavy burden”. However, Cayman does not have the reserves to keep the borders closed indefinitely and the more people who are vaccinated, the safer it will be to open up.
Panton said he was heartened by the turnout on Saturday and the increase in people who had been hesitant to take the shot now coming forward.
The latest schedule for the COVID-19 vaccine has been expanded to include more evening hours and additional locations in the districts as well as Camana Bay.
See the schedule here
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Category: Health, Medical Health
I did not go because of the raffle. I never win anything anyway. I wanted to be a part of the solution and not the problem. Doesnt matter if they had to persuade people, some of you dumb asses are still too lazy to go.
As Cayman is looking at various ways to increase the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19, new data and reports from Bermuda and the UK have confirmed the real-life effectiveness of vaccines in protecting against severe illness and death.
During the recent coronavirus outbreak in Bermuda, between 14 March and 1 May, 92 people were admitted to hospital. The vast majority, 81 patients or 88%, had not been vaccinated at all, while the remainder was not fully vaccinated.
Ten people had only received one shot and one patient was admitted to hospital within two weeks of the second vaccine jab so that full immunity had not yet been achieved, the Bermuda Hospital Board reported.
In these cases, it is likely that the infection occurred very soon before or after the first vaccine shot, when immunity is low, said Dr. Wesley Miller, BHB’s chief of staff, in a press release.
Quite simply the jab/shot works get your jab.
Get back to normal
So glad to see that more people got vaccinated but sad that it had to be done by offering a prize, what will be the incentive for them to go back for the second shot in three weeks.
Appalled by the lame excuse that the elected leaders were worried about disrupting their campaigns.
They were in close proximity to so many of their constituents but didn’t think it was important to take the necessary precautions to get vaccinated and keep the community safe!
It doesn’t really matter to me what carrot inducements are used to convince people finally to decide to get their vaccine doses, just that they do. We are all waiting for them.
Months of data from Israel, CDC, NHS, is already confirming what we already know:
88% of hospitalisations are non-vaccinated
11% are partially immunised with only one of two doses
1% are those with two doses, but before the two weeks after second dose
0% are fully vaccinated
Global policy makers need to read that last line again, because it’s really important to understand what that means.
The biggest question is how long are we protected from the c-virus after getting the second shot. If its only 5 or 6months, then those that got it in January/february will no longer be protected after June, so how can we open the borders in say July , lots of people that got the shot will no longer protected, it will be like they never got the shot. Please try to understand what i am trying to say, thanks.
The science shows that they last a minimum of 1year, and possibly for many years. Those that received the vaccine last year during the trials showing full immunity after a year.
What’s the next incentive? I know there’s more goodies!
2nd pension fund withdrawal from those grossly underperforming overcharging pensions!
The ones who refuse vaccine without valid reasons should cover the cost of treatment out of their own pocket since they are so smart. And not everyone else who is paying insurance.
Yes agreed! And the same rule should apply to smokers, drinkers, and the obese. Why should insurance cover unhealthy living habits?
Those are habits, not life-threatening contagious diseases that can be transferred to others. No comparison
Have you ever driven faster than the speed limit? Or it worn a seatbelt? Ever eaten fast food? Drank alcohol? Eaten salt? Where would you like the line drawn on who should and should not be paying for their health costs. Ever looked around at all the obese people here? Should they be charged? Or maybe the owners of fast food cafes?
Do you take the flu vax annually? Why? It’s 65% effective. Do you insist people mask up and wash their hands around your family every year for the 4 month flu season?
Get a grip
6:49 they pay for their insurance just as you do boo boo the fool. Who are you to dictate whether someone should pay out of pocket or be denied service? That would be a whole other law suit and go against human rights. Just shut up
Give them to the 12-15 years olds now the FDA has approved the use.
Correction. FDA has extended the Emergency Use Authorization to 12-15 year olds. There’s a big difference between this and approval.
Meanwhile, BioNTech Pfizer vaccine has also achieved the necessary Phase 3 follow-up safety and efficacy dataset, through global EUA rollout, to apply to FDA and other global drug regulators, for full approvals and those applications were submitted 4 days ago, with accompanying headlines published internationally. Not sure what “gotcha” the skeptics continue to wait for, when 1.19 Billion doses have already been administered with a superior health and safety track record than some birth control pills…and against a virus that has killed at least 159mln humans – many of whom sadly, assumed it was not the present threat it is.
What about JuJu?
Yehhhhhhhh…….she couldn’t make it as she was busy looking for scriptures to justify in-school exorcisms.
Ms. Julianna has her individual rights same as everyone else not to get vaccinated if she choose. Not everything has to revolve around her business. Find something else to do and stop looking fault in her.
There are “legitimate health reasons” for not choosing to take the Vaccine. Just thought i would say that!
Given her age and physique she must be a high risk case if she contracts Covid. However, if she choses not to vaccinate, that’s a matter for her. It would certainly be a lot ,ore politically acceptable for her to announce she had medical advice that she should not, but if it comes down to her religious beliefs at least being open and honest about it would help establish transparency. Simply avoiding the question just looks shifty.
People getting vaccinated is good news even if they have to be bribed.
My question is when are we going to get the equipment and personnel to do gene sequencing to look for the variants. Bermuda got their after the virus got loose and people started dying. I would prefer to get ours now so that we can know what we are dealing with and avoid people dying from the variants.
Why? We don’t really need to replicate other’s extra lab work, capacity, and handling on the post-positive end. It’s pretty clear to mathematicians and statisticians that B.1.1.7 is now the dominant strain of “third waves” in Europe and North America, but the longer Covid is allowed to circulate, under the misplaced banner of “freedom”, the B1.351 lineage will catch up early fall and overtake, and then, eventually, B.1.617, perhaps around late fall. We aren’t done yet. We need more people vaccinated, distancing, washing their hands, and practising sound respiratory etiquette. We in Cayman understand this, perhaps better than anywhere else in the world, thanks to Dr Lee’s successful stewardship last year. It’s strange that we aren’t sharing this firsthand success story experience with the planet.
Did the stipend receivers get their shots?
Maybe all of the people refusing to get vaccinated for no good reason should cover the cost of the stipend since they are the ones delaying the border opening.
Anybody on a work permit and in the “care giving” fields (helpers for older persons, nurses etc) that does not have I valid/legitimate reason for NOT getting vaccinated should have their permit revoked and required to leave the islands. Any new work permit holders in such fields should be fully vaccinated. Let’s looks at it this way.. most countries require persons to be vaccinated in order to get visas.. right?? I don’t see this as a human rights issue when the majority has already got the vaccination to try to beat this pandemic!
I have never been required to present any proof of any vaccination to open any visa in my life. And I did travel a lot.
While exhausting the opportunities to bring permit holders into equation, find a way to encourage fellow citizens who refuse a vaccine for no valid reason.
That would provide for a really good number of newly vaccinated.
Thank you.
Well i guess you have never had to get a student visa then thus your lack of knowledge on that fact! Do a little research.
This is just for the US STUDENT visa below:
The Most Commonly Required Vaccinations Are:
Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR)
Tetanus-Diphtheria-Pertussis (TDAP)
Varicella (Chickenpox)
Hepatitis B
Polio
Some Schools Also May Require These Vaccinations:
Meningococcal B (meningitis)
HPV
Annual Flu Shot
TB Test (tuberculosis)
https://www.traveldocs.com/travel-services/by-country-vaccination-requirements
Yes, but America is not the most of the world. And again, I am talking from my own experience. I did have multiple American visas as well, yet not once was I required to prove any vaccination.
Maybe a generational thing. I certainly recall having to show yellow fever vaccination for travel to a large number of countries – admittedly 20 years or so ago. And of course in Cayman we don’t require vaccination, but we do require work permit holders to prove they don’t have syphilis, AIDS or TB.
2:08 why don’t you mind your own frigging business instead of sticking your nose in everyone else’s. Ya’ll are something else, thinking you have some right to ask/demand information regarding someone else.
Ordinarily yes, but she is a government minister where the government policy is that everyone who doesn’t have a medical reason should get vaccinated – and whether she is or not, and if not why not, is a matter of legitimate public interest.
Yes, mostly tequila and B-52s.
everyone should get the vaccine or even made get it.
however cig has not even said what will happen if they reach the impossible 80% figure….
cayman has created a bubble and has not got he guts to re-open and let the possibility of covid being in our society, althought he riak will be miniscule. this is bonkers
Continued changing of the goal posts. Now it is 70% of entire population, not just adults or those at risk. There is absolutely zero scientific justification for quarantine in vaccinated, negative visitor with a native population 60% vaccinated. The data thus far shows incredibly low risk for much lower levels of population vaccination rates.
Lifting of many, but not all, is justified!
It will be interesting to see how many return for their second shot. Is there a prize for guessing not many?!!
There must be no prize draw until after the second dose ms have been administered.
To think of that… thousands around the world fall victims of covid as we speak, and here they need to beg and make incentives for people to take the vaccine for free.
Talk about spoiled. That is a sin.
That’s just wrong.
Hope nothing goes to waste, or at least they send it anywhere else where people use them asap,if it comes to the point where it’s obvious that there is going to be a waste. Jamaica is just an hour away.
If you are receiving the tourism stipend it should be a requirement to show your vaccination record, or a doctors note for why you cannot be vaccinated, in order to continue to receive the stipend. Period
If you are the Minister of Education it should be a requirement to show your vaccination record, or a doctors note for why you cannot be vaccinated, in order to continue to receive the stipend. Period
This is a requirement in some countries for teachers, long before the pandemic.
Even that it’s rare that a child will die, I don’t think we should put our children at a 0.01% risk of dying, when a teacher has the opportunity to take a smaller 0.001% risk to to get vaccinated.
Unless we think as a society think one teacher is worth the lives of ten children, it’s a responsibility to think about others.
I know my God and Bible says to put others first. Because we’re a small population, we might not see any deaths at all, but I believe God will still see our good intentions.
Absolutely.
“some members of the team had been waiting until after the elections just in case any side effects derailed them during their grueling road to office.”
Ha – what a joke!
Not as big a joke as 1100 people who apparently had to be promised free food and a raffle ticket.
Some people just don’t know how to tell the TRUTH! These politicians are just full of it. Why not say “I too felt unsure, as many of you my fellow people, and was hesitant to get it but now realise that this is the best decision and implore ALL my people to do the same and take this critical opportunity and get vaccinated”. Clean, simple and more truthful statement than “because of elections” bullcrap! BTW.. Premier Panton shows proudly he got his from back in March! He also campaigned too! you see the difference??
2!3 – Wait a minute are you suggesting that politicians be honest?
I’m glad some hold outs got their shot. Hopefully FDA will approve the vaccine for 12 – 15 year olds so we can hopefully get full use out of our allocated vaccine supply before it expires. If even 1 dose goes to the landfill, it’s a spit in the face to people who don’t even have access to it yet. Friends in Canada still trying to get their first doses…
Pfizer still does not have FDA approval. The vaccine is only for emergency use. They just started the application process to request the Food and Drug Administration’s approval for its COVID-19 vaccine on May 7th 2021.
We need U.K. approval for that age group, not FDA which is American approval.
FDA approved it today for 12-15.
FDA expanded the emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine to include people ages 12 to 15.
It’s not technically even “approved” yet for 16+….still only emergency use authorization. I don’t think it will be long though until they get full approval! The application was submitted a few days ago and the vaccine has been proving it’s success!
If I could make a suggestion. It worked really well when the HSA did vaccinations in the districts particularly in the eastern districts. Maybe each politician could canvass their constituents to see who needs it and plan a vaccination day in each of the clinics for all of those who would like to get it done but can’t get into town.
Check the Schedule, there are days planned in West Bay, East End, and Bodden Town on it already, and open from 4/5-9pm so people can go after work.
What the HSA should do know is reach out to the large companies like CUC/Fosters/DART/Audit Firms etc and do a vaccine day at the office.
A lot of people are still finding it hard to get their during the week particularly when they close for an hour and a half during lunch. They really need to change that and make it easier to come on your lunch hour.
Most days now they’re closing for breaks and restocking from 3pm-4:30pm to allow people to come on their lunch breaks, they’re open until 7pm, and they’re open on Saturdays too.
I sympathise with people who work out in the east or North Side, and I’m glad to see them add days in Bodden Town, West Bay, and East End over the next few weeks.
And the construction companies! So many of their staff travel to the job site by bus or bike, so almost impossible to get to a vaccination clinic during the day. A shuttle for them would be a great idea.
Many, if not all of these companies have not only allowed their staff time to go to get vaccinated but in fact also encouraged they do so.
Great Job PACT in getting the people out!
I would like to make a request to the Leader of my party, Mr. Roy McTaggart to do the same challenge to all of our unvaccinated PPM supporters to come out this Saturday and get vaccinated.
Let’s see if we can beat the PACT’s 1100!
Lol.. I wouldn’t hold my breath for Roy McTaggart or the PPM. They too busy plotting for next election.
They could have done the same thing while they were elected but if it was anything good that Caymanians would benefit from they weren’t interested.
Good luck with your challenge and it would be nice if it did happen but seriously doubt you will see a call from the PPM.
Lol. Let’s just overlook the 36,000 they got out in the first instance, shall we?
Hmmm..just how did they get them out.. I don’t remember the PPM doing any drive to get anyone out. Those people went willingly on their own. What is so wrong with them doing their own drive? It would show they are still vested in the country and not going to be simply a lame duck opposition until next election.
All that being said, as much as we like to put emotion and party into this, it should be about love of country.. A little rivalry between the parties to do what’s good for the country would not be seen by the majority as something bad…just saying..
How does the PPM lay claim to the first 36K? Is it because they were in power then? There was no drive to get the numbers up. The most that got done on any day was 400 or less. Last Saturday they were able to over 1100 in one day. If the PPM had done a major campaign drive to get the vaccine out we probably would have reached our target by now. Imagine if they had shot(pun) for a 1000 a day instead of 400 where we would be now?
PPM supporters been vaccinated long time…
PACT did an excellent job getting the people out. If the HSA had not made it so onerous to get it in the beginning we would have been way ahead now. If they could vaccinate over 1100 people in one day where the hours were reduced, they why didn’t they do that from the start. 400 people or less per day was ridiculous and no matter how people complained they wouldn’t change it.
Glad it’s on the move now and congrats to the HSA for stepping up as well.
HSA cant vaccinate people who don’t turn up. Arrangements last Saturday no different – just the introduction of a raffle and free refreshments which seems to have prompted over a 1000 people to run up who apparently couldn’t make any of the previous opportunities. Or is the absence of a free burger “onerous” in your book?
If you remember correctly..we were forced into not only surname days but limited hours during the day, closed during prime lunch hours and subject to whether or not you had an underlying condition.
People would show up for the shot and they would literally turn them away. This pissed off a lot of people and I can understand why..This was about getting shots in arms not government bureaucracy and it wasn’t like we didn’t have an overabundance of the vaccine…in fact we still do. My thoughts were if somebody has stood in line in the hot sun and the objective is to get everyone vaccinated, give them the shot..not turn them away..
Precisely why I stopped going to the supermarket. Haven’t been back since.
Idiot!
That was weeks ago. I still got my shot as soon as I was eligible. All those people who magically turned up this Saturday could have done the same. Stop making excuses. I am glad they have seen the light – just disappointed it took so long and more than a little concerned that it seems to coincide with being promised something in exchange.
“…some members of the team had been waiting until after the elections just in case any side effects derailed them during their grueling road to office.” LOL
Unbelievable that people had to have the prospect of a prize to motivate them into being vaccinated – all those who ‘did the right thing’ before May 8, are not part of the ‘great entitled’!
And, what about all those members of the Government who thought it would be too risky to have the vaccine during their election campaign? It’s pathetic!
Stop being a Debbie Downer and be grateful all of these people came out to get vaccinated.
Who cares? At least they are vaccinated now and we are closer to herd immunity. Save your condemnation for those that still haven’t been vaccinated.
Right minded people care.
Bullshit. Damned disgrace, every one of them and their fake excuses.
Juts to be clear, I’m not anti-pact. In fact I’m apolitical but it’s rather disingenuous that our leaders from both sides did not take the vaccine until now, including the leader of the opposition.
For the most part, everyone is doing their part to get us to population immunity but our leaders have been found wanting.
How many hasn’t taken the vaccine?
Arden had his shot long time ago as did his deputy Mr Suckoo
Both are irrelevant