So far, 6 436 children under the age of 18 have received first doses of the coronavirus (COVID-19) Pfizer vaccine, with 2 454 under 14 years old, and 3 982 between 15 and 18 years old being inoculated.
The Pfizer doses in Barbados expire near the end of 2021.
Ferdinand explained that numbers of vaccinations were moving at a rate of about 1 000 per day, and she was hoping those numbers would increase significantly this week as they continue to use vaccination pop-ups in communities across the country.
The doctor said it was very plausible Barbados could see around 10 000 vaccinations per week as has been suggested by Prime Minister, Mia Amor Mottley last week, and it was their hope the move into communities would see hundreds more coming forward.
Also at today’s press conference, COVID-19 Public Advisor, David Ellis revealed they would be ramping up a public education drive aimed at getting Barbadians out of their homes and into vaccination centres over the next few weeks.
He noted there was a clear and present danger of some in Barbadian society to undermine vaccination efforts through negativity on social media, but that public health officials would continue to push the importance of getting vaccinated, especially due to the prevalence of the highly transmissible Delta variant, which has led to a surge in community transmission in Barbados in the past two months. (BA)
