Yesterday the Government received 40,000 doses of the AstraZeneca Vaccine from the Indian Government. When receiving the delivery yesterday, the Prime Minister said that he would be “pained” if Vincentians did not take up the vaccine but he has still failed to lay out his plan for the vaccine rollout.
The Government is keen to achieve a result of 70% vaccination and have said that it will be done in “national manner” with the Government to target specific groups. The real problem is that nobody can seem to communicate what those groups are, and the timelines involved seem nothing beyond vague promises.
At a time like this, proper public health awareness is absolutely crucial.
The countries that have seen the most success in rolling out the vaccine have had a clear timeline and mapped out plan. There has been a clear system in countries like Israel as to when specific age groups will be able to receive their vaccine and where to get it.
We’ve seen little written down or communicated plans from this Government. They keep telling people to take the vaccine, but the reality is that people don’t know when they should and where they stand in the priority line. If the Government want their high uptake of the vaccine, they need to tell us who is eligible and when.
Currently persons interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine are asked to register by sending an email to vaccine@gov.vc with general information about who they are. This is hardly a clear system that we can trust.
There has never been a more important time for a clear plan. The Government has struggled to get a handle over COVID during 2021 and even this week with the outbreak at the Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre at Glen, we see how essential it is to have the right protocols and plans in place.
We need clarity from the Government about its plan for vaccinations and the roll-out, rather than vague statements, we need a published roadmap that everyone can see and follow, so that we can hold this Government to account as we recover.