Apart from hygienic and social distancing measures, the biggest contribution you can make to control the spread is getting vaccinated. As we've reported 30% of the population will be eligible for the jab in April, and Diaz wants to make sure that you show up for your turn.
Melissa Diaz - Acting Director of Health Services
"In the next week or two we are actually launching a campaign for the promotion of the vaccines and we want the public to know the COVID vaccine plans, the policies, drafted, the meetings that we have been in and the preparation that our team has taken to get the country ready for COVID vaccines and we're asking persons out there that once the vaccines have arrived in the country and it's time for them to receive the vaccines to take up that opportunity, to go in and get vaccinated because this is one of the ways that we can help our economy to return as quickly as possible and we are going to do mass education campaigns with regards to the vaccines once they are in country, and we are also going to educate the public with regards to where to go, how to get the vaccines as quickly as possible, so we're asking the general public for cooperation with that."
Vaccines For All
And while 30%, effectively 120,000 persons will go first, the Ministry is hard at work trying to secure vaccines for an additional 40% of the Belizean population with the benchmark set at 70%. And Diaz says vaccines should be on everyone's radar, even those who've suffered through and recovered from COVID.
Melissa Diaz - Acting Director of Health Services
"We are aiming to vaccinate 70% of the country, of our population so when we signed onto the COVAX as a COVAX facility, we, COVAX has agreed to give us 30% And we are looking for the other 40% in different areas and trying to ensure that we'll be able to get the 70% now, whether or not you've had COVID before that doesn't play a role as to whether or not you get the vaccine. So even if you've had COVID a month ago, five months ago, in March of last year you are still eligible to get vaccines, so it will be, as best as possible a full roll out across the country."
Vaccines, A Theoretical Timeline
That's an investment in vaccines, that's also an investment in the re-opening of Belize's economy.
But right now, getting to that 70% is shaping up to be a hard-fought and hard-won battle.
The good news is that there's a plan and this afternoon Diaz provided a theoretical timeline for Belize's 70% immunity.
Melissa Diaz - Acting Director of Health Services
"Well we hope that by the end of the first quarter or early second quarter of 2021, we would get the COVID vaccine for the 30% of our population and we are hopeful that within the third and fourth quarter, we'll be able to get at least another 20 to 30%, so it's something that we have a good plan, we hope that the plan will roll out as smoothly as we expect it to and as the months go on I'm certain that more manufactures will get approved and it will open up the market a bit more for us to get other vaccines than the 3 more popular ones that we know about currently."
That's an investment in vaccines, that's also an investment in the re-opening of Belize's economy. But right now getting to that 70% is shaping up to be a hard-fought and hard-won battle.
The good news is that there's a plan and this afternoon Diaz provided a theoretical timeline for Belize's 70% immunity.
The opinions and views expressed on this board are the subjective opinions of Ambergris Caye Message Board members and not of the Ambergris Caye Message Board its affiliates, or its employees.
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