BELIZE CITY, Thurs. June 24, 2021– While being interviewed by local media, the Minister of Health and Wellness, Hon. Michel Chebat, announced that the Health Ministry will be relaunching its vaccination campaign. This new phase of the campaign will commence on Wednesday, June 30, and is aimed at significantly increasing the number of persons in the community who have been vaccinated.
During the preceding campaign, healthcare personnel visited rural communities that would normally not have vaccines readily available to them. The Ministry of Health and Wellness had also engaged the various village leaders and asked them to assist by using their influence in the community to help promote the importance of vaccination.
This new phase of the campaign is being launched before two key events that will result in increased person-to-person interaction and activity — and thus increased risk of transmission of the virus, which will require rigorous oversight by the Health Ministry. On July 7, cruise ships will be returning to Belize, and many in the community are concerned that increased interaction between locals and tourists may cause surges in the number of cases. However, the ministry has pledged to put in place proper protocols to minimize the potential spread.
In addition, schools will be fully reopened in August, so vaccinations remain paramount. While children are generally asymptomatic when they contract the virus, they are still carriers and vectors for viral transmission. Minister Chebat noted, “Ninety-five percent of the time, they’re asymptomatic. The problem is that when they go home, they run the risk of infecting the older members of their families.”
Vaccinations remain an important part of the ministry’s response to the pandemic. The ministry intends to use the 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that the country recently received through bilateral agreements with Mexico to carry out inoculations during its upcoming campaign. Additionally, Minister Chebat revealed that the ministry plans to procure vaccines that can be used to treat persons aged 12-18, since these young ones will become a key target group when schools reopen.
Minister Chebat urges all persons in the country to get vaccinated. “The worst thing that can happen to you if you get vaccinated is, it is going to save your life,” he said.