Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic addressed the nation on October 11, 2021.
Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic
- The latest figures show 1 706 tests, yielding 214 new positive cases.
- 55 of them are under age 18.
- Between September 1 and October 10, we have 872 cases of people 18 years and under.
- 113 are in isolation as at 7 a.m. today.
- The tertiary facility at Harrison Point is being refitted with oxygen machines so it looks more like a secondary facility.
- There is an increase in the number of people quarantining at home.
- This had to be rolled out because of the increasing number of cases.
- The Ministry of Health is trying to move faster in removing people from home who need to go into isolation facilities.
- The roll-out of home isolation has not been perfect.
- We are experiencing delays in getting people out of home isolation to the isolation facilities for assessment.
- We expect in two or three days to be able to get to a point, where within 48 hours, we will be able to do everything.
- Transportation issues were dealt with to be able to respond in a timely manner.
- We started the process of retrofitting some vehicles to be able to transport people and entered partnerships with private operators.
- The elderly care facility in the catchment of the Branford Taitt Polyclinic is being well managed, as is the cluster at the Geriatric Hospital.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley
- The PM Started by expressing sympathy to the passing of those with COVID.
- We do not feel mandating vaccines will work.
- We do not feel lockdowns will work and will lead to loss of jobs, closure of businesses.
- We need to start the process of safe zones.
- We need to have places where people are either vaccinated or recently tested.
- The Ministry of Health will lead the process of rolling out guidance notes in bite-sized chunks to make it manageable and sustainable.
- People will be tested based on risk.
- High risk: ICUs, A&E, urgent care facilities, isolation facilities, swabbing centres, nursing homes and outpatient clinics.
- Unvaccinated people in these high-risk areas will have to be tested once a week.
- Vaccinated people will have a less frequent regime of testing.
- Government will pay for the tests in public sector.
- The Prime Minister has written BAMP, Nurses Association and trade unions to indicate this will be done.
- After healthcare workers, there will be a guidance note for frontline workers, then tourism and hospitality workers, then workers in the education sector.
- We will meet with the business community and labour unions to see how we can create safe zones for patrons.
- 60 per cent of the eligible population (people 12 and older) have already said we accept the responsibility to protect ourselves.
- 142 543 people have taken a first jab up to 5 p.m. today.
- This country has remained stable because the majority of Barbados has done the right thing.
- I have confidence in our people, and they have proven us right.
- We are not doing incentives for people to take vaccines because Government has paid the bills for building the facilities, hired the staff, got the vaccines and done everything we had to do.
- 7 000 single dose vaccines of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines will be coming at 10 a.m. on Tuesday from Guyana
- Government is still waiting on 14 000 Pfizer doses purchased through COVAX.
