2021,
New Year’s
MOH Says It’s Prepared With National Vaccination Strategy
Minister of Health the Hon. Renward Wells - January 8th, 2021 In its first national press conference for 2021, the Ministry of Health unveiled a number of initiatives aimed at curbing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country. The latest COVID-19 statistics revealed there were 7,969 cases throughout The Bahamas, as was disclosed during the press conference held Friday, January 8, 2021. Total COVID-19 hospitalizations continued on a downtrend and stood at 11, from 15 on January 1st. The Hon. Renward Wells, Minister of Health, announced several measures in the continued fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, among those being the procurement of vaccines. “Now that COVID-19 vaccines have been produced, the Government of The Bahamas is working on all fronts to secure the vaccines. Currently, there are three authorized COVID-19 vaccines on the world market -- Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, and Oxford University-AstraZeneca,” Minister Wells announced. “Through the COVAX Facility
natio na l and with the assistance of the World Health and Pan American Health Organizations, The Bahamas has presumptively secured enough doses to vaccinate 20% of our population once available,” Minister Wells, said. Adding that, “The Government of The Bahamas assures its citizens and residents that the vaccines chosen for use will be safe and appropriate for distribution throughout our islands.” To facilitate this distribution of a National COVID-19 Vaccine, Minister Wells also announced that a Strategic Plan has already been approved by Cabinet. “A COVID-19 Vaccine National Consultative Committee has been established, by the Prime Minister, to safely introduce the COVID-19 vaccine in The Bahamas,” he said. This committee will give advice to the Ministry of Health’s National Immunization Coordinating Committee (NICC) and the National Immunization Technical Working Group (NITWG). “Be assured, Government’s objective remains the same -- to continually provide free vaccines, to all who wish to benefit from the protection that vaccination offers. “Again, let me state the policy of the Government of the Bahamas: The COVID-19 Vaccine will be given without charge to the Bahamian people and uptake of this vaccine, by the Bahamian people, will be completely voluntary,” Minister Wells said. According to the Minister, when a safe and effective vaccine is available in the country, the public will be informed and invited to receive the vaccine in specific groups, at no cost. He also assured that the Ministry of Health’s Surveillance Team continues to monitor in-country virus trends, in anticipation of a possible third wave and maybe with a new variant in the mix, and he thanked the public for adapting to the new ways of interacting. “As the world continues to fight COVID-19, the methods may differ, but the commonality remains the same – the application of the preventative measures. Your continued adherence to these measures now, can and will determine our national circumstances later,” he said. Dr. Pearl McMillan, Bahamas Chief Medical Officer, who also gave a presentation during the press conference, stated that a Covid-19 vaccine is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2021, however, a definitive timeline for the vaccine’s arrival or significant details of the roll-out protocol were not provided. Additionally, although Minister Wells
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Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pearl McMillan.
said in his presentation that a vaccination strategy has been completed and approved by Cabinet, the document, as of January 10th, had not yet been released to the public. During the question and answer session following the presentations, a notable concern emerged - the relatively high number of visitors or returning travelers to the country not complying with the 5th Day test requirement. Of those visitors/returning travelers eligible, 41% or 21,000 people did not do the required rapid antigen test, accord-
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ing the health officials. Comments made were that the Ministry would need to work even more closely with its Tourism partners, with more access to the data, to ensure that people were getting testing. The partnership between the two Ministries was described as robust, and there was full anticipation that closer collaboration would take place, said officials. 113 travelers were said to have tested positive, and 26,000 have tested negative, since the new protocols took effect.
MOTA 2020 Review
technology, the Ministry of Tourism conducted virtual events around the world bringing all suppliers and trade partners together to share and discuss COVID-19 protocols and updates. Additional virtual events included: the first-ever virtual Bahamas dive pavilion for dive operators during DEMA, the largest dive supplier show in the world; webinars for private aviators espousing the coming pre-clearance initiative in South Florida and Facebook Live events featuring culinary experts, award winning mixologists and other local craftsmen. Lastly, the team worked hard to strengthen relationships with air partners in an effort to facilitate the return of international flights. The Ministry also launched a dive and boat ambassador program which includes top influencers in the industry who will support and assist us in promoting the destination. Highlights for Romance 2020 include successful participation to TravAlliance Fall show for Destination Weddings and Honeymoon Segment and official review of The
Bahamas’ Romance Magazine which will be fully launched during the Ministry’s Romance Forum in March of 2021. • Authentic Storytelling - An award-winning content marketing campaign featured local Bahamians speaking to the country’s culture, cuisine, art and other unique offerings that make The Bahamas stand out from other island getaways. • Blogger Program - In addition to an authentic storytelling program, the Ministry of Tourism also developed a robust blogging program on Bahamas.com where local influencers and writers shared their stories of travel and culture in The Bahamas in hopes of inspiring wanderlust and connecting with future visitors. • Local Content Shoots - In an effort to keep new creative content flowing on Visit The Bahamas social channels, the Ministry enlisted local talent and camera crews to shoot content aimed at enticing users to want to learn more about the destination.
