Vaccine used up well before expiry date

| 07/06/2021 | 40 Comments

(CNS): Concerns that Cayman would be wasting hundreds of COVID-19 vaccines because of their impending expiry dates were allayed Saturday when the last available dose of the Pfizer vaccine was administered at the airport clinic. Following a successful vaccination drive with prize draw inducements, none of the supplies due to expire at the end of this month were wasted. The clinics are now all closed until next week, when public health officials are expected a replenishment of supplies from the UK.

Those now awaiting their second dose of the shot will be given priority when the clinic reopens on 17 June, provided the new supply arrives on the British Airways flight.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Samuel Williams-Rodriguez said the Health Authority Services was pleased that people took full advantage of the opportunity given to them and successfully used all the vaccines ahead of their expiry date. “We hope that once we receive the new stocks, the uptake will remain positive,” he added.

Children under the age of 16 and over the age of twelve have also been cleared to get the shots.

According to the figures released Friday, more than 70% of residents (45,766) have had at least one dose of the vaccine and more than 60% (39,090) have had two doses, which means Cayman is now very likely to achieve herd immunity by the end of this month if the new supplies arrive as expected.

The successful rollout of the vaccine has placed the Cayman Islands in the top five countries in the world when it comes to the coverage rate.


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Category: Health, Medical Health

Comments (40)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Elon Musk says he tested both positive and negative twice for COVID-19 in one day and claims ‘something extremely bogus’ is happening. Musk revealed he took four tests in a day, ‘same machine, same test, same nurse’. Tesla boss said two were positive, two negative. He called it ‘extremely bogus’. The 49-year-old warned ‘if it’s happening to me, it’s happening to others.

    CNS: The four tests were rapid antigen tests, not PCR.
    See Elon Musk doesn’t know if he has COVID-19, and seemingly doesn’t understand he needs to wait longer for a final result

  2. Anonymous says:

    Pretty much everyone is ranked amber, don’t take it personally! UK government is just hell bent on getting people to spend their money at home.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Yet they are still vaccinating persons today…..

  4. Sheriff says:

    This new information regarding viral load in fully vaccinated people provides great hope that the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna will help prevent the spread of Covid. The full article is worth the read but the text regarding the reduced viral load is below.

    Source: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210606/New-data-from-CDC-on-effectiveness-of-Pfizer-and-Moderna-COVID-19-vaccines.aspx

    Among those who became infected, partially or fully vaccinated individuals had a lower level of viral RNA, a lower risk of developing febrile symptoms and a reduced duration of illness compared with unvaccinated individuals.

    The researchers say that if further data confirm that these vaccines reduce the viral load and, in turn, blunt the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2, this would suggest that the vaccines are not only highly effective at preventing infection, but could also reduce the impact of breakthrough infections.

  5. Anonymous says:

    So the final tally of people getting at least one dose is 46,928 or 72% of 65,000.

    Can we at least, as a first step, reduce the quarantine for returning residents to 3 days or less?

    Can you even speak Mr. Wayne “No Plan” Panton?

  6. Anonymous says:

    I really don’t care about anything now, other than people knowing the difference between borders and boarders.

    • Say it like it is. says:

      4.48pm Getting our contributors to realise that difference is like getting everyone to accept the Covid vaccination.

    • Anonymous says:

      Haha! I’m glad I’m not the only one surprised by how many don’t know the difference!

      • Anonymous says:

        Don’t be surprised but do be careful how much credence you put in comments from semi-literate poasters:)

  7. Anonymous says:

    So… we never had enough vaccines to get 70% of the population vaccinated?! I guess the “good news” is that we have since found out that it was a fake goal anyway. Open the boarder now! Everyone has made their decision about being vaccinated and now they have to live with it.

    • Anonymous says:

      We are open for boarders but as our borders are closed, there are only a few. Understand?

    • Anonymous says:

      We will open our borders as soon as you people learn to spell borders correctly and say the Cayman Islands instead of The Caymans.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Will someone explain to James just how mangled his math and logic is. His “math” tells him 5 out of a hundred vaccinated people *will* get infected. James subtracted 5 from 100 and solved the 6 degree polynomial. This is exhausting.

  9. Anonymous says:

    According to the article, we are in the top five as it relates to coverage rate which is very good news. However, we are ranked amber on the UK’s travel list. What is really going on?

    • Anonymous says:

      Top five of what? Many US states have over 70% and their numbers are larger. Please explain.

    • Anonymous says:

      Pretty much everyone is ranked amber, don’t take it personally! UK government is just hell bent on getting people to spend their money at home.

  10. anon against ignorance says:

    PACT hit the nail on the head, free burgers and random prizes brought them out. As a proponent of transparency can the Premier confirm how many of his M.P’s took the jab before the carrot, and how many are still unvaccinated?.

  11. Anonymous says:

    will keep asking the same questions:
    what happens if we reach the impossible ever changing target?…cig has never said what would happen.
    what happens when we don’t reach the target?
    why are we denying vaccinated people freedom of travel?
    is cayman trying to stay covid and virus free forever?
    we have protected our at risk groups and health service and have one of the highest vaccinations rates in the world….what is cayman afraid of?
    will wait for answers.

    • Anonymous says:

      Americans

    • james says:

      Cayman is not denying vaccinated people freedom of travel.

      The govt is trying to keep the country COVID-free, and it will be impossible to do that if people travel without an adequate quarantine in place.

      Pfzier, the manufacturer and seller of the vaccine we had, says that their vaccine is 95% effective against serious illness. The vaccine does not give people immunity, but the hope is, that if in sufficient numbers, the virus will not be able to infect enough people to a contagious degree, so that spread will be stopped.

      It is not known definitively, to what degree, the reduced viral load, in an infected-vaccinated person prevents them spreading their infection. However, just using Pfizer’s figure, 5 out of 100 vaccinated people will become infected. So, if we’re comfortable with 5 in every 100 travellers, that have been in the US and UK, skipping, or not doing an adequate quarantine (10 days), then welcome COVID to Cayman.

      • Anonymous says:

        Covid is going exist globally for several more years, if not permanently.

        You therefore posit that we maintain a quarantine for several more years, and not allow a non-Cayman carrier to add flights to Cayman?

      • Just Me says:

        If the end goal is to keep Cayman Covid-free then Cayman will never be in a position to reopen the border. Covid is not likely to be irradicated from the rest of the world in the near future, if ever. It is most likely that Covid will evolve into an endemic virus but even waiting for it to regress to an endemic virus will likely take years.

        Keeping Cayman Covid-Free is only an option if bankrupting the tourism industry is an acceptable outcome. People will not visit here with a 10 day required quarantine. Most visitors are families, most can’t spend 10 days in quarantine before they begin their vacation. At some point, CIG must make a decision regarding their true focus in this matter. What is their objective? Keep Cayman Covid-Free or find a way to open the border as many other Caribbean islands have done?

        • Anonymous says:

          Its not just the tourism industry. Its going to start affecting the competitiveness of our financial services industry as well if we and our clients cant travel here on business

          • Just Me says:

            @5:35 – you are absolutely correct, it’s not just the tourism industry. I sure wish others would realize that, including CIG.

            • Anonymous says:

              The CIG doesn’t have to make a decision in a vacuum. Look at your neighbor to the north – we have been vaccinating, no masks, no social distancing, gathering together in large groups…If there was going to be a problem everyone could see it. CV is old news now. We got the vaccine, it appears to be working, and the sad thing is the day the Cayman Islands truly opens…..nothing will happen. CI could have been open months ago. The level of hyped fear about this isn’t healthy either.

              • Anonymous says:

                It’s sad but I’m starting to think this is true. Cayman is so obsessed with zero cases that we are living in a prison of our own making. I’m not saying throw open the doors but at least let vaccinated people in.

                • Anonymous says:

                  You are right.
                  After travel;ing around the Caribbean and USA there is tourism and business travellers all over.

                  We are missing out on so much and when we open all the people will have gone elsewhere.

      • Anonymous says:

        Your math assumes that 100% of the vaccinated people will have been exposed to Covid and be infectious at the the time of arrival. Just because you have 5 chances in a 100 of catching Covid at any given point in time doesn’t mean you will have it at the time you travel. If the government keeps a PCR test – either pre flight or on arrival – the chances get even smaller. To put this in context, CDCs stats are showing something like 1:1000 people who have been vaccinated so far having subsequently been found to be infected.

      • Anonymous says:

        You’re confusing the meaning of 95% effectiveness. In the clinical trials the vaccine group had a 95% lower infection rate than the placebo group. That does NOT mean 100% of participants in the placebo group and 5% in the vaccine group were infected. It means the vaccine reduced the risk of infection by 95% relative to an unvaccinated person. Those who were infected after vaccination also had much more mild illness and lower viral loads, meaning less contagious. Against serious illness and death the vaccine is nearly 100% effective.

        • Anonymous says:

          No that’s not what it means at all. The 95% efficacy relates to your individual a relative risk reduction. This in itself depends on how vulnerable you are

          We’ve known since Feb 2020 who the vulnerable are (old/ill/diabetic) and statistically nobody else

          The vast majority taking vaccines are actually not shielding themselves any ire than those not taking them. It’s true. The Absolute Risk Reduction is less than 1%

          Effectively no benefit but doesn’t mean you don’t take it if you think it’s ok and researched well. Just don’t buy it based on 95% unless you’re vulnerable.

          • Anonymous says:

            You’re missing people that take it to protect the vulnerable.

            Many people who are at most risk of COVID also have the poorest outcome from the vaccine, someone on chemo or taking immunosuppressants for a chronic condition will not get the same protection level from the vaccine as a healthy person. It is important for the people around them to be vaccinated to reduce the chance of transmission.

            If you live with someone vulnerable you should get the jab so you are much less likely to pass COVID onto them.

            If you work with someone vulnerable you should get the jab so you are much less likely to pass COVID onto them.

            If you shop in the same places with someone vulnerable you should get the jab so you are much less likely to pass COVID onto them.

            If you go to church with someone vulnerable you should get the jab so you are much less likely to pass COVID onto them.

            If you might travel in the same bus/car/plane as someone vulnerable you should get the jab so you are much less likely to pass COVID onto them.

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