BELIZE CITY, Wed. May 5, 2021– The Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) is currently calling all persons who were designated as eligible to receive the vaccine during phases one, two, and three of the vaccination program to get vaccinated.
At this time around 10.7% of our population have received at least their first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. This represents around 45,100 individuals over the age of 18.
The MOHW is now calling the persons in those priority groups who have not yet started the inoculation process to reach out to vaccination centers located across the country.
At this time, healthcare workers are the group with the highest vaccination coverage, with 85% of those persons having received the first dose of the vaccine. They are now being called to receive their second jab, in order to complete the vaccination process.
Besides healthcare workers, fifty-one percent of teachers have received the vaccine and fifty percent of the elderly members of the population.
The Ministry is calling for more persons in those high-risk groups, specifically the elderly and those living with co-morbidities, to start the vaccination process. Family members and friends of individuals needing help to get to vaccination sites are also being called on to lend assistance.
The vaccines currently being rolled out in Belize are due to expire by the end of May. Our vaccination rollout began in March with a first donation from the country of Barbados of 1000 jabs of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which had been donated to them by India. India then donated 25,000 doses to Belize, and shortly after, the first shipment from the COVAX facility entered the country. Compared to many countries globally, Belize has had a considerably successful vaccination program so far.
However, the Ministry’s technical advisor, Dr. Beer, has noted that the Ministry has seen a low turnout in the recent week, which could be influenced by issues being faced on their end. She shared, however, that they are working to improve the situation in order to increase the deployment of the vaccinations in rural communities and the deployment to vaccination sites daily.
The second batch of vaccines from the COVAX facility is scheduled to arrive in the country at that time as well. Its tentative arrival will hopefully prevent any disruptions or pauses in the inoculation program.