Montserrat & Anguilla donated 3,496 doses of COVID vaccine to Bahamas

Bahamas: The Bahamas Caribbean island has received a donation of 3,496 doses of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine from the British Overseas Territories of Montserrat and Anguilla, with the assistance of United Kingdom High Commissioner Sarah Dickson.

Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis – chair of the National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee and special health adviser to the Prime Minister, received the donation of the COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday, 21 July 2021.

The donation of the COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Jet Nassau FBO at the Lynden Pindling International Airport.

Dahl-Regis, while receiving the COVID-19 vaccine donation, noted, “The vaccines are a welcome addition to our current vaccine supplies and would be used to continue the administration of second doses.”

On behalf of the whole island and the Prime Minister, Dahl-Regis appreciated and thanked the effort of the governments of Montserrat and Anguilla and the United Kingdom for this much needed assistance of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr Dahl-Regis further also thanked the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for assisting in coordinating the effort. Despite this, Nurse Ruth Bastian, National Immunization Manager, Ministry of Health; and Sr. Lt. Edward Fritz of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force were also present while the donation arrived.

The Caribbean island has reported 177 new cases of the COVID-19 infection on 21 July 2021, taking the total number of the confirmed cases in the country to 13,781, while a total of 12,158 patients have been recovered from the deadly virus so far.

As of 21 July 2021, a total of 274 people died on the Bahamas island amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. As per the COVID-19 vaccination stats, till 17 July 2021, a total of 60,389 individuals, which is 15.5 % of the population, has received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while around 39,366 people have received their second dose of the novel coronavirus, which is around 10.1 % of the total population.

The Caribbean island has been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected its economy and various other sectors.