PM Mitchell gets second dose of Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine

Grenada: Grenada Prime Minister, Dr Honourable Keith Mitchell, took his second dose of the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine on Friday, 10 weeks after the first shot was administered on February 16.

Since the start of the exogenous coronavirus pandemic, various protocols have been put in place to limit the potential spread of the disease. These have genuinely led to a slowdown in economic activity and social activities that promote mass gatherings.

He stated, “Remembering how I grew up and the importance of social interaction, I can understand the frustration I see around the nation. I feel affected by it as I spend more time at home now than I have ever done in my entire life, but I know what is necessary.”

Approaching some people’s reluctance to get vaccinated, the Prime Minister said vaccination is a normal process that we have been presented to for many years and something that has been traditionally required to enter the education system and travel to some parts of the world.

Dr Mitchell reiterated his call for various systems, churches, business communities, and various social groups to start speaking out about vaccination.

The Prime Minister stated, “The fact is, the impact of COVID-19 on business has been pretty overwhelming, and the leadership in this sector understands that to get back to where they were and to enjoy the level of business activity they did before, they necessity encourage their people to protect.

But I have not heard enough of the business community’s leadership promoting that. Furthermore, the trade union leadership has a responsibility, moral and otherwise, to commence in that respect and all other organisations at all levels. The churches have frequently played a responsible role, but there are still some weaknesses.”

Honourable Nickolas Steele, who also took his second dose on Friday, said dealing with the coronavirus pandemic has been quite tricky. Still, Grenada has been quite successful in managing the extent of the disease locally.

Minister Steele stated, “COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc during the world. As with any other infectious disease, our preference is to protect the population and, when a vaccine is available, to protect the population. With COVID-19 vaccines now available, this has to be seen as the solution to advancing and returning to life as normal. We all would not be able to survive this COVID-19 threat if we are not immunised.”

Also getting the second dose of the vaccine on Friday was Minister of Foreign Affairs Oliver Joseph, who emphasised the normalcy of vaccination.

Dr Bert Brathwaite, who is Chairman of the COVID-19 Sub-Committee, like the Prime Minister, published an appeal for leaders in various sectors to be more vocal.

The purpose of the Ministry of Health is to have at least 80% of the adult population immunised. Since the launch of the COVID-19 inoculation programme in February, 12,121 people have taken the first vaccine shot, and 1,337 have already got their second dose.