Defence Force Commodore Raymond King receives his COVID-19 vaccine

Bahamas: Defence Force Commodore Raymond King receives his COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination of the uniformed branches started on Monday, March 22.

Royal Bahamas Defence Force commences Vaccine Roll-out Defence Headquarters, MARCH 22 ‘21 (RBDF): As it pertains to the importance of frontline workers getting vaccinated, especially law enforcement officers who interact with the public daily, the Commander Defence Force, Commodore Raymond King, was the first RBDF personnel to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, March 22, 2021.

As an essential and critical service with responsibilities of defence and security, peace and security of law and order maintenance, the military as a profession of arms must remain healthy and fit to effectively counter criminal elements and transnational threats in the domestic and maritime domains. Additionally, vaccination has the benefit of reducing the chances of becoming infected when interacting with the public to execute duties.

Conducted at the Defence Force Base, the vaccinations were led by the force’s Medical Doctor, Lieutenant Commander Doctor Derwin Johnson, along with the Medical Facility’s professional staff. Also receiving vaccination was Ms Lisa Adderley, the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security.

Being the first to get vaccinated, Commodore King encourages Officers and Marines to make the right decision.

“As a fighting force where personal readiness is of the utmost importance, it is critical, although voluntary, to consider the implications linked to not being vaccinated, and exposed to the threats in the performance of our duties which require us to interact with other nationals at sea, where the risk is higher,” said Commodore King. “I, therefore, encourage other organizational members to follow my lead, as I lead from the front, and accept the vaccine to ensure your readiness as a fit and healthy force.”

Commodore King said that recent studies based on the scientific evidence of the vaccine’s effectiveness nationally and internationally factored into his decision to take the vaccine. This, along with the fact that the organization remains committed to ensuring a healthy and fit force as the last line of defence.

With this being the first day of vaccinations, the Royal Bahamas Defence will give further updates on the numbers who would have voluntarily accepted the vaccine.

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