Bahamas to get 33,600 doses of vaccine before the end of March through COVAX Facility

Bahamas: Prime Minister of Bahamas Hubert Minnis highlighted the COVID-19 vaccine update in the nation on 7 March 2021.

The rollout of the first 20,000 doses will begin days after the arrival of the vaccine—20,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine now scheduled to arrive Wednesday 10 March due to logistical issues overseas.

The first batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Government of India, and these vaccines are pre-qualified by the WHO and certified by the Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS).

Vaccines to be stored at the National Immunization Cold Storage Facility in New Providence and transferred to other islands as required. The state-of-the-art cold storage facility is a secure, temperature-controlled, clean and protected environment. Temperatures can be monitored remotely. The facility has a back-up generator supply. Fallback facilities were also identified.

The facility can safely store hundreds of thousands of vaccines. To ensure maximum security, the facility will be under 24-hour guard by RBDF. Those eligible to receive first doses will be healthcare works in the public and private sectors, residents and staff of eldercare homes, and non-ambulatory residents registered in the public health system.

Healthcare workers may begin booking their vaccination appointments online within days of the arrival of the vaccine. Details on the appointment process are soon published. Residents and staff of eldercare homes and the registered non-ambulatory will not be required to make an appointment.

Mobile units will be used to vaccinate residents and staff of eldercare homes and the non-ambulatory on-site on New Providence and Grand Bahama. On the Family Islands, medical teams will administer vaccines to healthcare staff on the island and at eldercare homes and the non-ambulatory.

At this stage, vaccines will be distributed in phases on New Providence, Grand Bahama, and the Family Islands. Bahamas to receive 33,600 doses of the 100,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine before the end of March through the COVAX Facility. They are remaining 64,200 amounts expected to arrive by the end of May 2021.

The government is working aggressively and on several fronts to secure vaccines from approved providers as quickly as possible. The pandemic’s emergency phase’s path is twofold: maintain public health practices and vaccinate the population.

Health officials and the Consultative Committee will continue to provide regular updates on the vaccine’s continued rollout. 

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