“We urge people to take advantage of the supply and make an appointment”
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee Co-Chair Ed Fields said with the “strong interest” from the public with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, appointments for the general public rollout tomorrow and the following day have already been fully booked.
Pfizer will be rolled out to the general public on Thursday at the Kendal GL Isaacs Gymnasium.
Administration of the US-manufactured vaccine will continue over the weekend, with Melia and Loyola Hall also facilitating Pfizer appointments.
“The interest is Pfizer is strong, with Thursday and Friday fully subscribed,” Fields told Eyewitness News.
“We anticipate that the weekend slots will also fill up.
“There are still many slots available for Monday and every day, thousands of slots become available.
“We urge people to take advantage of the supply and make an appointment.”
As of next Monday, the Church of God will also be offering both Pfizer and AstraZeneca, the latter of which will be for second doses.
A select group of adults and children between the ages of 12 and 17 received their first doses of Pfizer on Monday.
It remains unclear how many people were included in that grouping.
An assessment of the administration of Pfizer will take place with a select group on Grand Bahama over the weekend before the vaccine is rolled out to the general public the following week.
Timelines on the rollout of the vaccine on the Family Islands, many of which have had vaccination campaigns with AstraZeneca, is expected to be announced in the days to come.
Among the islands welcoming additional vaccination campaigns is Abaco, which has seen a recent outbreak in pockets of the island.
Twenty-eight Royal Bahamas Defence Force marines stationed on the island had to be quarantined last week after two officers tested positive for the virus.
A total of 171,380 doses have been administered, with 51,150 people fully vaccinated.
This represents just over 13 percent of the population.
To reach herd immunity, anywhere from 75 to 85 percent of the populous needs to take the jab.
Some studies suggest that taking a first dose of AstraZeneca and a second dose of Pfizer offers “strong protection” against the virus and variants such as delta.
