BELIZE CITY, Wed. Feb. 24, 2021– It is being hoped that herd immunity will significantly soften the impact of COVID-19 on communities across the world and will make a return to normalcy possible. In order for that to happen, however, the majority of the population must be willing to be vaccinated, but experts are noting that there is still a considerable amount of doubt and fear in some quarters due to concerns about the potential risks involved.
Dr. Natalia Largaespada-Beer, Belizean pioneer in maternal and pediatric health, says that vaccines are an important aspect of fighting diseases. In a recent interview, she said, “We don’t see cases of measles in Belize; we don’t see cases of Polio in Belize and neonatal tetanus and many other diseases that are prevented by vaccines. [The COVID-19 vaccine] is just one more vaccine that will protect us against COVID-19. This is what the world is saying is that we only can be safe if all of us are safe, and that that means, beside wearing the mask, beside physical distancing, washing their hands, cleaning those surfaces, stay at home, the vaccine will play a big role in reducing the number of COVID-19, especially severe illness.”
The AstraZeneca vaccine is one of the vaccines that Belize has received and expects to continue receiving through the COVAX facility. In reference to how the vaccines will be distributed within the population in order to achieve strategic health objectives, Dr. Beer explained, “AstraZeneca is recommended for persons 18 years and older. What does that represent from the total population [of Belize]? Fifty-eight percent (58%). So we’re hoping that throughout the coming months, we can have an option of vaccines that can give a lower age group, and I know Pfizer starts from 16, so we have two cohorts there that we can look at. But as we speak, the vaccines are also being tested, but they’re being tried in the population to see if they can include a younger population. Until then, our target is 58 percent of the total population, according to the age group that is recommended by the manufacturer. In other words, out of every two Belizeans, only one can get the vaccine.”
She stressed that in order for the vaccine rollout to be effective, there must be a collaborative effort. “I am taking the vaccine because I need to protect those who cannot receive the vaccine. And that’s a huge commitment. So we are being put to a test as a country now. How well are we when it comes to having solidarity with those who can receive the vaccine, because none of us are exposed to COVID-19?” she remarked. She also emphasized that if the threshold for herd immunity is reached, even those who are not vaccinated will have a reduced risk of being infected due to the decreased likelihood of transmission.
In another interview, Dr. Marcelo Coyi, an obstetrician at Belize Medical Associates, shared reasons for optimism in regards to Belize’s prospects for herd immunity. “As you know, we have six to seven billion people in the world. It’s a lot of vaccines to be produced. Until we get herd immunity for the world, it’s at that point [that we will return to normalcy]. Hopefully we, and that’s one of the good things of being a country with a small population — we can achieve that target quicker than other countries who have millions and billions like India, that has a billion people, China which has over a billion people. We are only, I think it’s estimated to be four-hundred twenty-thousand people,” he said.