Cayman Islands receives first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine
/ Our Today
administrator
The Cayman Islands Government received its first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday (January 5).
The shipment, which contained some 9,750 doses of the vaccines, arrived on a British Airways flight.
Pfizer-BioNTech was the first vaccine to receive approval in the United Kingdom (UK) and it has since been approved by healthcare regulatory agencies around the world, including Canada, the European Union and the United States.
According to The Cayman Islands Government, the Ministry of Health has been working closely with the Health Services Authority’s Public Health department to implement the roll-out process for the vaccine.
Health officials emphasize that the vaccine will be voluntary and encourage residents to do their own research when making decisions for their families. Those who are vaccinated will be given a stamped certificate of record.
The vaccines will initially be available to those aged 70 and over, certain patients in high-risk categories, healthcare workers and other high-risk frontline staff. It will be taken to those who are housebound and administered by a public health official, should members of the public desire this option. When there is better availability of the vaccines, the offering will extend to those aged 60 and above who are part of the first stage of vaccination.
The vaccine is not currently recommended for children under 16, pregnant women or women who plan to be pregnant within the next three months. Persons with a history of immediate onset anaphylaxis to a vaccine, medicine or food should also not receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
As further supplies become available, a staged approach will see other groups receive the vaccine, based on the risk to their health posed by the viral illness.
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