(CMR) The Governor, Martin Roper, will be one of the first persons on the island to take the Covid-19 vaccine next week. Cayman will be receiving enough of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from the UK on January 5 to vaccinate 5,000 people.
The announcement comes after he confirms that just this morning the UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) has approved the Covid-19 vaccine. Approval took weeks of data examination by experts who now feel confident is signing off on the vaccine.
It was noted that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine already in use requires storage at -70C and is hard to deploy. Because the Oxford vaccine needs only normal refrigeration at 2-8C and is easily transported from UK factories, it will not have to be kept in central hospital and community hubs, enabling a swift rollout to GP practices and care homes.
The governor confirmed that the UK has ordered enough of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine for 50 million people and the rollout will begin on Monday. They hope to vaccinate around 2 million people per week. This would cover the entire population when combined with the full order of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said.
He confirmed that the protocol will include an initial dose which could possibly give people 70-80 percent immunity and a 12-week booster shot for longer-term immunity. None of the scientific community knows how long immunity will last.
The vaccination programme will start on 4 January and will aim to reach millions of people in at-risk categories as quickly as possible. The emergence of a new variant of the virus causing high rates of infection has made vaccination even more urgent. The Oxford vaccine’s ease of use means pharmacists will be able to give the jab in high street chemist shops, as they do with flu jabs.
Calling this a “game-changer” and “great result for British science” Governor notes that this “offers hope to the world.”
Acknowledging the ever-changing face of the virus he noted:
“While we are fortunate to be largely Covid free (apart from a small number of returning travellers), the virus and a dangerous new strain continue to rage around us. We need to continue to exercise the utmost caution. Approval of this new vaccine, and other vaccines, is our way out of this pandemic.”
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