BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC -Barbados Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Jerome Walcott has launched the 21st Vaccination Week in the Americas, saying that the annual event should remind everyone of the importance of vaccines a way to protect each other.
“As we emerge from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are taking stock of the state of our essential health services and vaccination programs. Because of the decline of our vaccination coverage rates over the last ten years, the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases is high. This is cause for serious alarm,” Walcott said in a video released by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
He said in the Caribbean region, more than 11,000 children younger than one year old, or almost one in 10, did not receive all their vaccine doses in 2021, leaving them susceptible to diseases such as polio, tetanus, measles, and diphtheria “diseases we had already eliminated from our shores.
“But there are laudable achievements which must be recognized. In the non-Latin Caribbean, more than three million people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 over the last two years,” Walcott said, adding that in Barbados, for example, more than 55 percent of the population has received at least two doses of vaccine.
“When we come together, even during difficult times, we can achieve great things,” he said, adding that the administration here is committed to investments in all components of the national immunization program.
“By so doing, we will ensure that persons of all ages have access to this essential service. Persons at high risk of severe diseases – such as older adults or pregnant women – will remain among our highest priority groups for vaccination. We will continue to provide vaccines to all vulnerable persons residing in Barbados. ”
He said, in addition, Barbados is doing much to address vaccine hesitancy, especially among r health workers.
He said together with other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries. They are collaborating with the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), PAHO, regional nursing, medical, and allied health professional bodies and institutions to develop and implement training and educational campaigns for all our health workers.
“As they dedicated their lives to providing unwavering support during the worst days of the pandemic, we will continue collaborating with them to address their questions and design vaccination services that fit their needs.
“Let us remind ourselves that our national immunization programs are our first line of defense against outbreaks. The road to recovery is long, but we must play our part to protect ourselves and our loved ones. And the way to do this is by getting all our shots during Vaccination Week in the Americas,” Walcott told the various populations in the Americas.
PAHO said that the 21st annual Vaccination Week and the 12th World Immunization Week (WIW) are being held under the theme “Get up to date #EachVaccineCounts.”
It said that this year’s vaccination week campaign aims to emphasize the protection vaccines provide to individuals and their loved ones and stress their importance for a long and healthy life.
“The goal is to create awareness about the vaccines that people of all ages need to receive, and in doing so increase vaccine acceptance and uptake, which has been declining among children worldwide and more heavily in the Americas over the last decade.”
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