Gov’t dropped the ball on vaccine rollout- Hon Penn
In one of a series of press releases blasting the Andrew A. Fahie (R1)-led Government today, April 5, 2021, Honourable Marlon A. Penn (R8) said the public relations campaign around the vaccine and the roll out programme has proven a failure.
‘Ball was dropped’- Hon Penn
The Leader of the Opposition, who is currently in self-isolation for 10 days due to possible exposure to the virus, said the “Government has proven there is no plan in place” to safely navigate COVID-19 in the Territory and that the Government was well aware of the donation of vaccines and their expected arrival date, however, he said “the ball was dropped" and alleged that the public relations campaign ensued only after the arrival of the vaccine in the Territory.
“There are a lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding the vaccine and getting vaccinated. This is a clear indication that a more in-depth conversation about the vaccine and its benefits to persons and the wider community is greatly needed,” Honourable Penn said.
Fact check
Government has been actively promoting vaccination in the territory, including by having medical personnel appear on various public forum, including on social media, to provide information about the vaccine as well as clear up misunderstandings about it.
It should be noted that it was on March 26, 2021, that Minister for Health and Social Development, Hon Carvin Malone (AL) announced that a Community Outreach Committee has been formed and purposed to inform and educate all residents of the importance and benefits of being vaccinated.
While expressing his support for vaccination, the Opposition Leader said he recognises it is only one of many tools to fight COVID and rebound from the pandemic. He further added a strong educational campaign is needed to reach persons who may not be on social media or even tune into the various radio programmes.
“Lack of planning and policy continue to plague this Administration and while we recognise that the vaccine is not a silver bullet, it is imperative that a plan is put in place to live, work and manage COVID in our Territory,” Honourable Plenn said.
Noting the global shortage on vaccines, Penn said, “I am hopeful that our vaccines do not go to waste and we are able to utilise all of the donations received.”
Low response to AstraZeneca shots a worldwide problem
What Hon Penn failed to mention is that concerns surrounding the taking of the AstraZeneca vaccine are not limited to the Virgin Islands but are global, which has slowed vaccination programmes.
The European Union, for example, has had a bumpy COVID-19 vaccine rollout due to concerns about the vaccine before declaring it safe. 13 EU countries had decided to halt the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot while possible side effects were investigated.
More recently, several countries briefly halted their use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine amid safety concerns, a move that baffled health experts and raised questions about future uptake.
On Tuesday, March 30, 2021, Germany suspended use of the AstraZeneca shot in all citizens under 60, citing renewed concerns after a small number of reports of rare but serious blood clots. Earlier this week, some hospitals in Berlin had initially stopped vaccinating women under 55 with AstraZeneca’s shot.
Health officials in Canada last week suspended plans to give AstraZeneca Plc’s Covid-19 vaccine to younger people over concerns it could lead to blood clots in rare circumstances.
It was another setback for Prime Minister Justin P. J. Trudeau’s vaccine effort, which is off to the second-slowest start among Group of Seven countries.
And the US has said it may not need AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine — even if the shot gets approved by federal regulators.
In an interview with Reuters, Dr Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the White House, said the nation already has enough contracts with other vaccine makers to inoculate the entire population.
US regulators had accused AstraZeneca of “cherry picking” data to make it seem like the shot was more effective.
Following public criticism, AstraZeneca said the data was based on a “pre-specified interim analysis,” and agreed to release an updated report.
The firm then released revised results showing a diminished, though still strong, efficacy for its inoculation.
In the Virgin Islands some 7000 persons have been administered a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
The Territory has some 32,000 doses of the vaccine but is struggling to get especially its locals inoculated.
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26 Responses to “Gov’t dropped the ball on vaccine rollout- Hon Penn”
how come you only hearing from penn over the past 2 years maybe he is juggler like you because for 8 straight years cat cut his tongue
TELL HIM COME WITH SOLUTIONS.
Now hear this; A astra zenaca manufacturer in Baltimore has recently close their plant because they contimated 15 million doses of the vaccine. Another company is now organizing to take over that plant. Can you imagine being closed down for such a great disaster? We were LUCKY to hear about that. Now where will that 15 million vaccines go? Or end up. No Company tossing that in the trash, there will be a Black market with that stuff soon. Just wait.
We should all get vaccinated and this current surge would only be affecting travelers.
Mr malone mr penn and the situation of corvid agenda is a fool among a rock and between hard place. for the people.. let me tell u all something there going too little us in hell rigth before our own eyes if we all dont stand up against the wicked of men against humanity...
years ago looked out for the entire british virgin islands. arm in arm they moved the bird sanctuary forward and did so in love and harmony
While Penn is criticizing the government, the Caribbean and International organizations are commending the territory for the outstanding work being done to contain the Corona Virus. I wonder if he would criticize those persons who are commending the territory for the tremendous work being done to contain the virus and save lives