Darville: Demand for J&J vax declined once Pfizer became available in country
Govt to introduce incentives and improve PR to encourage Bahamians to take the jab
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — There is an excess of 20,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines that are set to expire by the end of the year due to low intake of the brand, according to Minister of Health Dr Michael Darville.
Speaking to reporters outside Cabinet on the current vaccination campaign, Darville said uptake of Johnson & Johnson vaccines in The Bahamas has not been “as good as we would like it to be”.
“We believe, as we speak, there are some 20,000 doses of [Janssen] vaccines that possibly could go into expiration by the end of this year,” he said.
“We are doing all in our power to encourage Bahamians everywhere to get vaccinated. With that being said, we will be offering some incentives for individuals to get the J&J vaccines.”
Darville explained: “When the Pfizer vaccine was introduced, the appetite for the Johnson & Johnson declined and we are doing all in our power now to ensure we do our best to get those jabs in people’s arms, and we will try our endeavor best to do all we can.”
…Your best bet to protect yourself and your family and to prevent death and possible hospitalizations is to be vaccinated.
– Dr Michael Darville
There are currently 146,441 fully vaccinated people in the country, which includes Bahamians and residents who were fully vaccinated abroad and registered their jabs with the ministry.
When asked how realistic is it that the government will achieve its 200,000 fully vaccinated goal by the end of the year, Darville said officials are pushing very hard as 42 percent of the Bahamian population is now fully vaccinated.
“We are going to try to improve our public relations efforts to try and convince Bahamians who have [vaccine] hesitancy that your best bet to protect yourself and your family and to prevent death and possible hospitalizations is to be vaccinated,” he said.
Booster shots
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has strengthened its COVID-19 booster shot recommendation to include all adults as the new omicron variant continues to spread.
But Darville insisted that the government’s first step for third doses will be the immunocompromised.
He said the program for booster shots will be rolled out shortly.
“We have some resistance because not everyone is of the same view,” he said.
“Some people believe that the vaccine is very precious and the first option should be to individuals who have never been [vaccinated].
“Based on what’s happening around the world, booster shots are a very important element and we are looking at it as we speak.”
Meanwhile, Darville noted that the government is still trying to secure approved Pfizer vaccines for children.
“We are looking to see if we can get them into this country as soon as possible, but I cannot give a specific date,” he said.
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