Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell has announced that doses of the COVID vaccine will be arriving in December from the UK. The arrival of the vaccine has economic and healthcare implications as it may enable borders to reopen and Caymanian tourism to resume.
This announcement took place at a Cayman Islands Tourism Association forum at the Ritz-Carlton on Wednesday. Whilst speaking at the forum, Kirkconnell said that the report of the UK’s intention to deliver the vaccine in December came from Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee. The CMO is creating a report about both the vaccine delivery and the arrival of more antigen tests.
The trials of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 have been promising so far, but they are not yet complete. Researchers require more time to monitor people who have received the vaccine during the trials to make sure the vaccine does not cause any negative effects. The side effects that have been reported during the trialing process include a sore arm and/or fever after receiving the vaccine.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is one of several vaccines against COVID-19 that are hoped to be distributed as soon as they receive emergency clearance.
There is little information available about the vaccine, including its role in the prevention of severe cases of COVID-19. Still unknown is the vaccine’s ability to prevent asymptomatic people from carrying the virus and potentially transmitting it to others.
Despite these unknowns, the EU has committed to purchasing 300 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and the US is purchasing 100 million. The UK is buying 10 million doses. According to The Guardian, Pfizer and BioNTech stand to make $13 billion from the COVID-19 vaccine.
In the Cayman Islands, it is unclear how many doses will arrive from the UK upon approval for distribution. Also unclear is the number of people who need to be vaccinated in order for the outcome to be effective.
Healthcare and medical professionals will likely be the first to receive the vaccine though it is not yet known how people will agree to receive the vaccine before it has been widely used.
Though many medical experts around the world are cautious about the efficacy and safety of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the tourism minister voiced enthusiasm for its arrival. In the Cayman Islands, everyone will be urged to receive the vaccine when the vaccine becomes available, but the process will be voluntary.
Kirkconnell said that the government will be promoting the vaccine to the public when enough doses are available to meet demand. It is also likely that travellers to the Cayman Islands will be required to have received the vaccine before they arrive. In the best case scenario, the effects of the vaccine, combined with testing for COVID-19 antigens, will enable border restrictions to ease and tourism to resume.
