PAHO Director Appeals to Get Vaccinated

Caribbean Consulates

Anguilla

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Antigua & Barbuda

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The Bahamas

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Barbados

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Belize

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Dominica

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Dominican Republic

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Grenada

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Guyana

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Haiti

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Jamaica

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Martinique

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Montserrat

845 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10022 Tel: 212-745-0200

Panama

1212 Avenue of the Americas, 20th Floor New York, N.Y. 10036 Tel: 212-840-2450

CARIBBEAN SPECIAL REPORT 2 PAHO Director Appeals to Caribbean People to Get Vaccinated, Observe Protective Measures

Washington, D.C.: Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), expressed concern about COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Caribbean countries and made a strong appeal to people to get vaccinated. Speaking at her weekly media briefing, Dr. Etienne, who is from Dominica, said, "I am truly very concerned about what is happening in the Caribbean” with people reluctant to get vaccines and relaxing their adherence to public health measures. “So please, please, please take your vaccines and please wear your masks properly, social distance. I know the Caribbean people like to be close, and we like fetes, and we like to congregate, but please avoid congregation. Observe respiratory etiquette and wash your hands frequently.” She noted that small islands in the Caribbean have limited bed capacity in intensive care units, along with limited numbers of specialized doctors. “Our health systems will become overwhelmed very quickly,” she said. In the English-speaking Caribbean, more than 1,315,197 COVID-19 cases and more than 16,136 deaths have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic. Cases are rising in Jamaica, Martinique, the Bahamas, and Dominica. “Over the past month, infections increased 30-fold in Martinique and there has been a significant spike in hospitalizations,” Dr. Etienne said in her briefing. To date, over 1.1 million people in the Caribbean, comprising about 15% of the population have been fully vaccinated, according to PAHO figures. This does not include Haiti, which recently began its vaccination effort. “What we are seeing now is persons totally relaxing on the public health measures and a high level of vaccine hesitancy," Dr. Etienne said. "Even when vaccines are available, persons are not coming forward. We are seeing vaccine hesitancy in healthcare workers.” I don’t know the sources of the information that is triggering this level of vaccine hesitancy. I can tell you that they are not scientifically proven, and I want to appeal to you to listen to the sources where you have truthful, scientifically based information and evidence,” she added. She reassured Caribbean citizens that the vaccines work, particularly those that received emergency use listing (EUL) from WHO. The proof, she said, "is that of the people that are now hospitalized, in severe illness and death, more than 95% of those have not been vaccinated.” To be protected, you need to receive the full regimen," she continued. "If it is two doses, you need to receive the full doses. One dose does not protect you. And please, the best vaccine for anyone is the one available to you. So, please make use of available vaccines.” She said not getting a COVID-19 vaccine is “foolhardy” because the vaccines are safe and protect against severe illness and death.l —PAHO.org

The US Government Donates 5.5 Million Pfizer Vaccines to CARICOM

St. Kitts & Nevis

414 East 75th Street, 5th Floor New York, N.Y. 10021 Tel: 212-535-5521

St. Lucia

800 Second Avenue, 9th Floor New York, N.Y. 10007 Tel: 212-697-9360

St. Maarten

675 Third Avenue, Suite 1807 New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 800-786-2278

St. Vincent & The Grenadines

801 Second Avenue, 21st Floor New York, N.Y. 10017 Tel: 212-687-4981

Trinidad & Tobago

125 Maiden Lane, 4th Floor New York, N.Y. 10038 Tel: 212-682-7272 The US Government has generously gifted the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with 5.5 million doses of Pfizer vaccines. This is the culmination of efforts initiated by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr the Honorable Keith Rowley, who as Chair of CARICOM, wrote to President Joseph Biden of the United States earlier this year requesting a supply of vaccines for the Community. President Biden subsequently announced that the US was donating a supply of vaccines to the Region as part of its world-wide distribution of 80 million doses. US Vice President Kamala Harris also spoke with Prime Minister Rowley in June confirming the allocation to CARICOM. Fifteen CARICOM Member States will receive the much-anticipated Pfizer vaccines, with 1.5 million doses being allocated to Haiti and the other 4 million doses for distribution among 14 CARICOM countries. The donation from the White House also includes 3 million ancillary kits containing needles, syringes, diluent and other supplies which have already been received. This donation follows months of discussions between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Pfizer, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the CARICOM Secretariat. At the beginning of those discussions, the total number of persons vaccinated in CARICOM countries stood at a meagre 515,000, which emphasizes the importance of the donation by the US Government. CARICOM Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque expressed his appreciation to President Biden for his generosity and to his team at the White House for their commitment to delivering the vaccines. “This end result is due to the hard work put in by the White House staff, the staff of CARPHA, the staff of the Secretariat and the team at Pfizer,” the SecretaryGeneral said. “These vaccines would contribute significantly to the Region’s ability to control this pandemic and place the Caribbean on a path to economic recovery. Importantly it would also allow for schools to be re-opened given that the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for emergency use for children 12 years and over,” Ambassador LaRocque added.l