BELIZE CITY, Wed. Feb. 24, 2021– On Wednesday, February 24, 2021, Belize received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines, a donation sent from the government and people of Barbados. One thousand vaccines arrived at the Philip Goldson Airport on a cargo flight before noon on Wednesday. The Acting Director of Health Services, Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, and Dr. Julio Sabido from the Ministry of Health and Wellness were on the tarmac to receive the donation.

The donation of 1000 Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines was the first to arrive in the country and is expected to inoculate about 500 persons, who will consist primarily of frontline workers, the most vulnerable, and those highly exposed to the virus. The Ministry of Health and Wellness is expected to give a full briefing within the coming days.

In a short address today, the Minister of Health and Wellness Michel Chebat said, “I am happy to announce today, the arrival of this first amount of vaccines for our people. While it is a small amount of vaccines, it is a big step for us to confront and continue the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, I wish to thank the Government and people of Barbados for their kind and generous donation of these vaccinations. As we have committed, these vaccines will be distributed to our healthcare workers throughout our country.”

Recently, we reported on a donation of one hundred thousand vaccines from the Indian government to Barbados. Reports are that an additional 500,000 jabs are expected to be donated from India to the Caribbean. Prime Minister John Briceño has already made an official request on behalf of the country.

According to the World Health Organization, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has a 63.09% rate of efficacy against the COVID-19 virus. Data also shows that it has a slightly lower rate of effectiveness against the UK variant of the virus and a marked reduction of effectiveness against the South African variant.