By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Renward Wells said officials have petitioned the United States to give The Bahamas some of its Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.

His comment before a Cabinet meeting yesterday came a day after US President Joe Biden said America will share 60 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses with other countries.

“I’m not sure The Bahamas will be a part of the countries that will receive a donation but I don’t see why we would not be,” Mr Wells said.

“I have long said that The Bahamas is one of five countries that sits on the borders of the United States. The US has already given AstraZeneca vaccines to Mexico and Canada. The only other three countries that sit on its borders are Cuba, Russia and The Bahamas. Cubans are developing their own vaccines, the Russians develop their own vaccines and so we have been petitioning the United States government, as was revealed by the United States government, that a lot of countries around the world were petitioning them to release their stores of AstraZeneca.

“I’m happy to hear the announcement that they are going to release some 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to countries around the world. Whether it’s by donation or by purchase, The Bahamas certainly looks forward to being in that queue and being a part of those nations that receive it.”

He later added: “I do anticipate now that the United States has made that announcement, that we will have additional vaccines as well.”

All people over 18 became eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday. It is not clear how many more vaccines are available for first dose purposes. Second doses of the vaccines will be administered starting May 10.

While doses are limited, officials have said the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine will be restricted to Bahamian citizens and permanent residents 18 and older, as well as residents in the previously stated priority groups.

The vaccine news comes as the country battles the apparent third wave of the virus, with 158 cases recorded between Friday to Sunday. Another 86 cases which were not previously recorded were also announced in data released on Sunday. Of those 86 cases, the 32 in New Providence were originally tested between January and April 2021 while the 54 cases for Grand Bahama were originally tested between September and December 20.

Yesterday, health officials said 63 new cases were recorded on Monday, pushing the toll to 10,283. Six hundred and thirteen cases are active while 52 people are in hospital with the virus.

In spite of the new wave, Mr Wells said the government believes vaccines mitigate against the need for tougher rules.

“It isn’t that we are committed to not tightening restrictions,” he said. “What we are committed to is to the course of action that we are on, which is…based on what the data is from other countries around the world who have vaccinated their people and held in place the kind of health protocols that we have held in place.

“They have been able to move their countries out of increasing cases of COVID. You would know that just a few weeks ago health protocols were changed in regards to just testing in Eleuthera, the curfew was brought down a month and a half ago in Abaco when we were experiencing challenges, so it isn’t that we are not willing to move in circumstances to try and gain greater control of increasing cases, it’s just that we have a particular course based on the science which we believe will yield the results to bring this down, unlike what we had to do in the second wave.

“We had no vaccine in the second wave so lockdowns, curfews, weekend lockdowns, those things had to be employed and since December we know we have the silver bullet. We have a vaccine and I am again asking my people, my most gracious people, to step forward and take the vaccine. It is good for what ails us.”