Etienne: We’ve got the power to beat virus
Published:Thursday | February 24, 2022 | 12:09 AM
The Caribbean has the tools to turn the tide on vaccine hesitancy and achieve greater COVID-19 vaccine coverage, according to director of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr Carissa Etienne.
Speaking during Wednesday’s weekly press briefing on COVID-19 in the Americas, she said that nearly 700 million people across the region have already received their full course of vaccination, with more than 21 million in the Caribbean having done so.
According to Etienne, this has provided real-world data to show that vaccines are safe and effective against COVID-19, but there is much that the Caribbean can do to reach unvaccinated people, including tailoring interventions to the needs of those who remain vulnerable in each country.
“In Jamaica, for example, this means reaching out to casual workers and young men, who have the lowest vaccination rates in the country. In Trinidad and Tobago, this means engaging nurses who are trusted sources of medical information, but also the health workers, to target those most likely to remain unprotected, and in Barbados, which is known for having some of the highest numbers of centenarians in the world, it means protecting those on the cusp of turning 100 years so that they can continue to live healthy lives.”
She also urged governments to make it easier for people to get vaccines closer to home.
“This can be done by investing in staff and infrastructure to ensure that vaccination centres are closer to the people who need them the most and that hours of operation are convenient for working adults,” Etienne said.
Opening dialogue to address the concerns of the unvaccinated is critical to reaching the desired levels, Etienne insisted.
“In one PAHO and UNICEF survey that was supported by USAID, 51 per cent of vaccine-hesitant people in the Eastern Caribbean were open to changing their minds after seeing more scientific and medical information. This means working with trusted voices and community leaders to reach people where they are with the right information. Dialogue, trust and outreach are the tools that we must use to get more vaccines into arms,” she argued, before making a special appeal to the Caribbean people.
“The best decision that you can make for your health right now is to get a vaccine against COVID. The pandemic is not over and a new variant can emerge at any point. If you have been vaccinated but you know someone who has not been, please, reach out to them, listen to their concerns and share information.