The United Kingdom government has given assurance to the British Virgin Islands that they will be providing whatever quantity of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine is needed, to help the territory succeed in their battle against the deadly virus.
This is according to Governor John Rankin, who made the disclosure during a statement on Wednesday July 14.
He said that in addition to the procuring of unlimited vaccines to the territory, the UK will also be providing 10,000 PCR test kits and 15,000 rapid test kits, with the latter set to arrive today in the BVI.
“I am pleased that the UK continues to support us here in the BVI. The UK government has confirmed it will provide all the vaccines we need to ensure that all adults can have access to two doses. The UK is also sending 10,000 PCR tests and tomorrow we expect 15,000 Lateral flow tests to arrive,” the governor stated.
He added, “As governor, I and my office will continue to work with and support the Premier, the Health Minister and the Acting Chief Medical Officer and his team with all of their efforts.”
Vaccine 92% Efficacy – Get vaccinated
Governor Rankin also outlined a few key statistics of the AstraZeneca version of the vaccine as he implored residents to get vaccinated.
He said, “Here in the BVI we have the approved Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. This vaccine, after 2 doses, is 92% effective against hospitalisation. It considerably reduces the risk of getting COVID-19. It means there is much less chance that you will be hospitalised and it is proven to be almost 100% effective against severe illness.”
“If a fully vaccinated person catches Covid, they transmit much less virus to others. Along with other protocols of wearing masks, washing hands and remaining 6FT apart, this means when enough people are vaccinated, we will see a significant reduction in Covid transmission here in the BVI,” he added.
The governor said that the countries who have succeeded in their vaccination rollout are the ones who are presently reopening their borders.
He also thanked the local healthcare professionals for all the work they have been doing during this on-going COVID-19 pandemic.