More than 90 countries in region have under 40% vaccination rate
Director of emergencies: Although omicron less severe, do not let your guard down
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Assistant Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa said yesterday that surveys showed health professionals in The Bahamas were not “very informed about the vaccine” despite being the most trusted sources of information for families and communities.
His comment came amid slower vaccination rates among Bahamians and residents despite continued coronavirus infections, hospital admissions and COVID deaths due to the omicron variant.
So, we are working with the ministers of health in the Caribbean to develop a comprehensive communication strategy in order to mobilize the healthcare workers, the communities, to get vaccinated.
– PAHO Assistant Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa
Asked about the slowed vaccine uptake in The Bahamas amid continued infections and deaths, Barbosa said: “PAHO, working with the minister of health, we had a survey last year showing many health professionals were not very informed about the vaccine against COVID-19.
“We had another survey that was performed by UNICEF recently showing that the vaccine hesitancy is very important in many countries in the Caribbean in that the doctors and nurses are the most trusted source of information for the families and communities.
“So, we are working with the ministers of health in the Caribbean to develop a comprehensive communication strategy in order to mobilize the healthcare workers, the communities, to get vaccinated.”
He underscored the impact the virus has had on The Bahamas and other Caribbean countries, noting the reliance on tourism for economic activity.
Barbosa and PAHO Director Dr Carissa Etienne said the best way to get out of the pandemic is through vaccination.
More than 90 countries in the region have below a 40 percent vaccination rate.
G20, comprising finance and health ministers from the world’s 20 biggest economies, has set a goal of 70 percent vaccination globally by mid-2022.
Over 159,000 people have been fully vaccinated in The Bahamas.
Barbosa assured that the vaccines being distributed via PAHO/WHO are not experimental, but vaccines that have undergone vigorous assessments by stringent health regulatory authorities and by WHO.
While new infections and hospital admissions of COVID patients in The Bahamas have trended downward in recent weeks, cases, hospitalizations and admissions to intensive care units in the region continue to increase.
Etienne noted that in jurisdictions “hit earliest” by the omicron variant, cases have begun to slow.
PAHO has committed to delivering significantly more vaccine doses throughout the region.
Guard up
Though it has been widely agreed that the omicron variant is less severe than previous variants, PAHO Director of Emergencies Dr Cari Ugarte said it is not a signal for populations to lower their guard and “just live it up”.
“No, as I said, many countries are reporting increases in deaths,” he said.
“Therefore, the responsibility is by all the populations — and, of course, health authorities to report cases that are occurring, so that the population can be protected.
“But community transmission is the responsibility of all of us.”
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