DR. WILKINSON URGES PERSONS TO GET VACCINATED FOR THEIR SAFETY AND SECURITY AGAINST COVID-19

Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 21, 2021 (SKNIS): Medical Chief of Staff of the Joseph N. France General Hospital (JNF), Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, is urging persons to utilize the vaccines available in order to ensure the safety and security of the Federation from the deadly effects of the Novel Coronavirus.  

“Since February 22, we have had the tool to fight this virus, the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine sitting in refrigerators whilst some of us choose not to be vaccinated.  We told you that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 70 percent effective in preventing Covid-19, it is 96 percent effective in preventing severe disease after just a single dose, it’s 82.4 percent effective in preventing severe disease after two doses and it is 100 percent effective in preventing death from COVID-19,” said Dr. Wilkinson at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Briefing on May 20, 2021. 

As of May 20, 2021, 20, 136 doses of the vaccine have been administered across the Federation with 15, 025 persons having received their first dose, and 5, 111 individuals receiving their first and second doses.    

Dr. Wilkinson also advocated for members of the public to make use of the availability and accessibility of the current vaccination drive taking place across the Federation to achieve herd immunity, stating that persons are not fully vaccinated until they have received both doses of the vaccine.

“There is no more time for playing around, this is the time for action. In a pandemic, time wasted costs lives. It is time for us to unite as a nation with a common goal to eliminate this virus. Today, every single hotel worker should have been vaccinated. Today, every single worker in the tourism industry should have been vaccinated. Every single teacher entrusted with the care for our children should have been vaccinated. Every single healthcare worker and persons on the frontline who are in direct contact with persons should have been vaccinated,” said Dr. Wilkinson.

There is currently a global shortage of COVID-19 vaccines. Luckily, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis managed to secure enough doses for the Federation to utilize. The goal of the vaccination drive is to have at least 70 percent of the Federation’s adult population vaccinated to reach the herd immunity threshold.

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