A voluntary national vaccination programme will commence in the first week of January when several thousand vaccines will arrive to the Cayman Islands from the UK.
This event will begin a process that enables restrictions on travel to ease, allowing the border to reopen, provided the public are able to trust the vaccine and its efficacy. The Pfizer vaccine will be delivered in the Cayman Islands, followed by other vaccines through the COVAX initiative.
Though he has not been identified as a member of the first group earmarked to receive the vaccine, Premier Alden McLaughlin will be among the first to receive the vaccine. By placing himself amongst the first to volunteer to take the vaccine, he is able to demonstrate his own trust in the safety and efficacy of the vaccination programme.
By self-selecting to be one of the first to receive the vaccine, the premier said he hopes to defuse anxieties around the vaccine that was approved by the UK only last week. The COVID-19 vaccine that has been approved by UK regulators was developed by Pfizer, and elderly UK subjects were the first to receive the shot on Tuesday.
Premier McLaughlin explained in a statement on Thursday that the government will put the vaccines first in order to move forward on plans to ease border restrictions. He compared the national vaccination programme in the Cayman Islands to the ones developed by the Pan American Health Organisation and Public Health England and other public health agencies.
According to McLaughlin, prioritising the vaccine protects everyone who allows the healthcare system to function as well as possible. Healthcare workers will be the first to receive the vaccine, followed by others who provide essential services to the community like airport staff and other people who have direct contact with travellers from abroad.
After healthcare workers are vaccinated, people who are over 60 and other members of the elderly population will be offered the vaccine. As well, the individuals who are at the greatest risk of contracting COVID-19 and experiencing its most serious effects will receive the vaccine before it is distributed amongst the rest of the community.
Once these populations have been vaccinated, members of the general community will be able to receive the vaccine, leading to country-wide immunity.
In his statement, McLaughlin also acknowledged the spread of misinformation related to the vaccine that has become available to the public, asserting that plans to challenge the misinformation are underway.
Resources currently in place are enough to begin the national vaccination programme, and more supplies are on their way, according to McLaughlin’s statement. In preparation for the vaccine rollout, the Health Services Authority has ordered more syringes, needles, sharps boxes, and specialised freezers in which to store the vaccine. Officials believe that the plan in place ensures that approximately 3,000 people per week will be able to be vaccinated during the first stage of the national vaccination programme.
The national vaccination programme and the prioritising of vaccines are linked to a plan to ease the restrictions on travel as soon as next year. Any lifting the border restrictions has implications for the current isolation programme and testing programmes, and they are dependent on the successful implementation of the vaccination programme.
During the second stage of the programme, other essential workers, teachers and school staff will be eligible to receive the vaccine. As well, anyone who lives in the same household as any individuals who were vaccinated in stage one will be able to be vaccinated in stage two. At this point, the government hopes to open borders even further, as the most vulnerable members of the Cayman Islands will, at this point, be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Anyone traveling to the Cayman Islands at this stage will have to meet several requirements before being allowed entry. Proof of vaccination as well as evidence of a negative PCR test will be necessary, and travellers with these items will not be required to quarantine if staying with individuals who have also been vaccinated. Travellers will also be screened for COVID-19 on days 5, 10, and 15 from the day of their arrival.
Though the vaccination programme is voluntary, regular PCR screenings will continue for workers in healthcare as well as anyone who works in medical settings, nursing homes and prisons. Individuals employed in the tourism and hospitality industries will also be tested on a regular basis to uphold safety measures. Taxi drivers, workers at restaurants and bars, and port workers are only a few of the individuals who will continue to be screened regularly.
McLaughlin acknowledged that the vaccines are voluntary, but urged everyone to consider the national vaccination programme as an opportunity to protect the Caymanian community as well as to protect individuals. As well, receiving the vaccine can prove to be beneficial in other ways.
The Health Services Authority and the government have pledged to monitor the outcomes and processes involved in bringing the vaccine to the Caymanian community and in opening the borders. McLaughlin explained that any sign of increased transmission rates would lead to stronger safety measures to prevent further spread of COVID-19.
In his statement, McLaughlin asked that, as everyone waits for the vaccine, people carry on with their own personal precautions. Washing hands and following social distancing guidelines are preventative measures that should continue in order to minimise the spread of COVID-19.
After the release of Premier McLaughlin’s statement, the governor also released a statement that explained the UK’s role in rolling out the vaccine to the Cayman Islands.
On the 5th of January, a flight from the UK with a supply of vaccines will be arriving, and more will soon follow, and the UK is committed to providing the Cayman Islands with the necessary supply of vaccines. The Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and Gibraltar are all well-positioned to receive supplies of the Pfizer vaccine because they all possess the low-temperature cold storage necessary to house the vaccine.
Governor Roper, like Premier McLaughlin, asserted his own willingness to take the vaccine as soon as possible, encouraging Caymanians to follow suit in the hopes of resuming normal life as soon as possible.
