A press release from the Governor’s office states that the third shipment of COVID-19 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines is scheduled to arrive to the Cayman Islands from the UK on 11 February. The shipment will contain an estimated 15,000 doses of the vaccine, which means that a total of approximately 20,000 Caymanians will be vaccinated after these doses are administered. In future, depending on supplies, a shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine may become available.
Each vial is said to contain 5 doses, but the vials actually contain 6 or even 7 doses of the vaccine. The first batch of vaccines contained, in actuality, 11,500 doses though 9,750 were anticipated. In combination, the first and second shipments from the UK contained 23,000 doses of the vaccine.
Though the global supply of the COVID-19 vaccine continues to be somewhat uncertain, the governor reports that the Cayman Islands will continue to receive vaccines from the UK. The UK’s promise to the Cayman Islands will hold even as the UK continues to cope with high numbers of deaths and a continuing COVID-19 health crisis.
The press release reminds members of the public of the safety of the vaccine and the importance of receiving the vaccine. No serious side effects, adverse reactions, nor complications have resulted from the vaccine, and over 100 million people around the world have received the vaccine to date.
According to the press release, taking the vaccine is a protective measure that keeps the most vulnerable members of the Caymanian community safe, even as false stories about the vaccine circulate on social media.
Currently, travel to and from the Cayman Islands continues to be restricted, and more than 90% of the population aged 60 years and over must be vaccinated before the islands can open any further. As new variants appear around the world, the importance of vaccination increases, as medical professionals continue to assert the effectiveness of the vaccine.
The press release concludes with a statement regarding a recent Oxford University study. This study has revealed that the AstraZeneca vaccine can stop a vaccinated person from infecting others while also protecting that person from serious illness. The study has not yet been peer-reviewed, but the news offers Caymanians a heightened sense of optimism.
