by Linda Straker
- Healthcare providers identified as priority group for Covid-19 vaccine
- Grenada is among IDA eligible countries to receive free vaccine
- PAHO has adapted WHO readiness assessment tool for our region
Dr Francis Martin, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, disclosed that Grenada has identified its priority group for the Covid-19 vaccine and has applied for early delivery. Health officials are currently preparing a rollout plan for the vaccine recommended for use in this region.
“Our broad-based priority group will be healthcare providers, but we are yet to decide which profession within the priority group will the first, second, or third batch that will be vaccinated. Everyone in healthcare has an important role but all will not be able to get it together,” said Dr Martin, who previously served as the Chief Medical Officer.
Through the COVAX facility, Grenada is among the list of International Development Association (IDA) eligible countries that will receive free vaccine. IDA is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries.
Whichever vaccine is recommended is set to be available in March/April 2021, but some countries in the region have made an advance application for early deliveries which might be available in February 2021. “We are among the countries that have made an advance application and so we stand a better chance of getting our first shipment earlier,” Dr Martin said.
The Gavi COVAX Facility forms a key part of the COVAX Pillar of the Access to the Covid-19 Tools Accelerator, a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production, and equitable access to Covid-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines. COVAX is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the World Health Organisation (WHO) working in partnership with developed and developing countries vaccine manufacturers.
Dr Carissa Etienne, Director of PAHO (Pan American Health Organisation), said on Wednesday that her organisation is hopeful that the Covid-19 vaccines that will soon come to market will help contain the pandemic, but this will take time and advance planning.
“While a number of vaccine candidates are under consideration, no vaccines have been approved for our region yet,” Dr Etienne said in the weekly Wednesday news conference held virtually for journalists across the Americas. “We are working hard to ensure that once vaccines are approved and are available, countries are prepared to roll them out. The World Health Organisation has developed a readiness assessment tool that PAHO has adapted for our region to ensure that our member states have the guidance that they need on everything.”
The assessment tool provides guidelines for an approach that ranges from engaging healthcare staff to regulatory aspects, communication, resources and as well as the training needed to prepared health systems for vaccination campaigns.
Dr Martin confirmed that Grenada’s rollout plan already has a communications strategy that will educate nationals about the benefits of vaccinations for medical ailments and the role vaccines have played in saving lives and turning around economies that are affected by pandemics such as Covid-19.
Dr Etienne said that in the early days of vaccine availability there will not be enough vaccines to protect everyone, so the objective is to save lives using the first deployment to reach those most vulnerable to develop severe forms of Covid-19 because of pre-existing conditions such as cancer, respiratory problems and diabetes. “Each country must identify priority groups and adapt to communications campaign materials to meet their needs.”
Dr Etienne who confirmed that PAHO will be supporting member states in developing national health development plans. This week PAHO is convening a meeting of member states in an extraordinary session of its Council, where they will meet with the Ministers of Health within the region to discuss the preparation for vaccine rollout and the purchasing and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines in the region through PAHO’s revolving fund and through the COVAX Facility.
Everyone’s an expert, eh?
Well Grenada’s economy is collapsing.
I hope you guys have a better idea.
If this vaccine will bring Grenada back let’s take it.
I realize some of you still have a steady paycheck,
but many do not!
Roll out for Vaccine
And today is Human Rights day????
In all my years there was no cure for Virus
is this one unique?
Please roll out your plan, in the deepest part of Grand Etang
The vaccine, as all other vaccines, is not a “cure”.; it’s a preventative medication by way of triggering the immune system to produce antibodies to stop the virus from causing its host from becoming ill.
Where did you get your fake information from?
COVAX will only for the foreseeable future deliver enough vaccine for 20% of a countries population. It is dependant upon donations from richer countries of spare vaccine. EG the uk will donate over 100 million doses. However, when you consider the size of some of the receiving countries eg India, it is clear that 20% will not be soon… Oxfam recently warned countries that if they have not PURCHASED vaccines, they will be at the end of a 2 year plus waiting list to protect their populations generally.
If we could be sure of it’s efficassy, and it’s safety we WOULD need it to allow us to open up. Which would help our economy.
But, the 90% etc, is a figure derived from a formula used by the “scientists from a very small group of participants who actually CAUGHT the virus. If you considder a SLIGHTLY larger number of unvaccinated people caught the virus, it seems being unvaccinated was not so bad. Also according to the Vaccine Czar, I can’t remember his name, 10-15% of the subjects in the vaccinated group had mild to moderate reactions… this contradicts the figures the Pharmacuetical company provided, and makes the Unvaccinated group actually have less reactions. Though in fairness they were supposed to have had more serious reactions.
As far as THEY know, it doesn’t stop you catching anything, it doesn’t stop you getting symptoms, although perhaps they are milder, but out of 11 people who got it, how can you be sure it would do that for everyone, and last but not least they don’t seem to think it will stop transmission, so, all this fuss for something that hardly does anything at all.
Distance will be needed, masks will be needed, and sanitising will be needed… So the new norm will be the old norm.
Imagine a vaccine so safe you have to be threatened to take it, for a virus so deadly you have to be tested to see if you have it.
This is not good, not good at all. The IMF, WHO, PAHO really controls this little island because we owe them money and this government have to do what they say. I really can’t believe that our born and raised members of government who grew up on natural remedies is going to allow this pharmaceutical product with no information of what’s in it and what are the long term side effects to reach our shores. I feel sorry for the elderly and those on the frontline who are going to be used as guinea pigs with this nonsense. We can’t allow this to happen! Please rethink your decision, please!!!
It is too late as the money given to our Government is already spent and we just thinking about the money at this difficult times which was brought unto us by the developed countries that controls what we do and they are going to make it standard that we have taken the vaccine before we can enter their country .
Totally in agreement
Clever approach as we with a population of 100K and have not had any deaths yet. Now we are all set to receive a vacation we don’t need nor do we know what is in it.
Yes we are black and poor compared to most of these developed countries but we have to be very careful with our approach to this vaccine.as it will be part and parcel of getting into those so called develop countries.
Agree, well said