An event geared towards sensitization and the importance of getting immunized against Coronavirus will take place today, April 24; a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and ABS TV.
During the event dubbed the Vaccine Zoom Party, Doctors and entertainers will partner to get the message out to the youthful Antiguan and Barbudan population and residents at large.
Ahead of tomorrow’s event Chief Medical Officer Dr Rhonda Sealy Thomas says one of the health official’s biggest challenges is getting persons to turn out to get vaccinated.
“The biggest challenge has been managing the amount of vaccines we have and the demand initially by the public for the vaccine and now actually the biggest challenge is getting persons to come out and take the vaccine so we can return to normalcy.”
“I think what we saw in the first phase was that persons who have made up their minds to take the vaccine and who know of its effectiveness, they actually came out. What we are seeing now are persons who have not made up their minds. Persons who are still trying to understand vaccines and that is why we are having public education,” Sealy-Thomas expressed.
Sealy-Thomas went on to highlight the benefits of being immunised against COVID, amid criticism that persons who are, can still contract and spread the virus.
“No vaccine is 100% effective and if you take a vaccine the possibility exists that you can still get the disease. What has been proven is when you take the COVID-19 vaccine you are unlikely to develop severe disease and end up in the hospital and the Intensive Care Unit and subsequently die. That is the main benefit of taking the vaccine.”
“It is known that the risk of transmitting the disease is also reduced if you have taken the vaccine”
