Chief Medical Officer, Dr. David Johnson, made a brief address on the need for vaccinations on September 29th 2021. According to him, 71% of the total number of Covid-19 cases are unvaccinated. Furthermore, 75% of the symptomatic patients are unvaccinated. To him this is a cause for concern.
Dr. Johnson expressed, “We will continue to pursue a very aggressive vaccination campaign because we know it is the responsible thing to do.” He noted that they have been preparing and waiting for the Pfizer vaccine which was donated by the US government. Now that it is here, he urges persons to take full advantage of this opportunity to protect themselves and others.
Furthermore, he indicated that the Pfizer vaccine was rolled out on September 23rd 2021. It is noteworthy that this vaccine is available to children 12 years and above as well as all adults. However, Johnson pointed out that persons who have severe allergic reactions or immediate allergic reactions to the first dose of the vaccine should not proceed to get a second dose.
Moreover, he stated, “The Ministry of Health is working very closely with the Ministry of Education to get school children vaccinated. We have set up vaccination sites at several schools and several other locations around the island.” He continued, “Although we are used to administering vaccines to thousands of children for many decades in Dominica, during the early days of the Pfizer vaccine roll out, we are ensuring that a medical doctor and/or a family nurse practitioner are on sight as a form of precaution for these children.”
According to Dr. Johnson, the Pfizer vaccination roll out has been occurring simultaneously across the island. At present, there are two doses of the vaccine which are given separately within a minimum of 21 to 28 days in between the first and second doses.
He further expressed, “For us in Dominica we are not interchanging vaccines. In other words, we give the first and second dose using the same type of vaccine to complete the vaccination series.” Moreover, Dr. Johnson believes that there are genuine concerns about the administration of the vaccines. Nonetheless, he explains, “While some persons have genuine concerns about the vaccine there are some persons who are spreading a conspiracy of pandemic about the vaccine.”
Additionally, he voiced that he is deeply concerned about the frontline workers who work tirelessly at the expense of personal sacrifice. He is also concerned of the high percentage of the unvaccinated persons in Dominica as well as the increased number of elderlies who are enduring the brunt of the current surge and are dying.
Lastly, he expressed profound gratitude to all frontline workers who are part of the army that fights against Covid-19. To him it is imperative that persons get vaccinated to mitigate the harshness of the virus.
