NOV 9, 2021 – MELISSA ROLLOCK — BGIS
Barbados is close to making a decision on administering the Pfizer vaccine to children five to 11 years old.
Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kenneth George, made the announcement this morning after a donation of medical supplies to the Ministry of Health and Wellness by the Pan American Health Organization.
“As you know, the Federal Drug Administration out of the United States and the Centres for Disease Control have given approval for the use of vaccines [for this age group] in their population. Barbados has examined the evidence…. I think that PAHO/WHO is not there yet.
“Remember, we have multiple sources to examine and once those sources are brought to the attention of the public health team, we will make a determination. What I can tell you is that we are close to making a determination for the approval of Pfizer vaccines for children five to [11],” the Chief Medical Officer stated.
He added that Barbadians continued to “answer the call” to get vaccinated “regardless of what was being said in other places”. However, Dr. George noted that those with comorbidities, such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension, continued to have negative outcomes, especially if they were unvaccinated.
“…We have options for people, and you know boosters are becoming more and more commonplace. We have adopted a very forward-looking booster policy of allowing persons to have a third dose. But, at the same time, our priority will always be to get the unvaccinated to come across to be vaccinated,” he emphasised.
Dr. George further added that while he was not making any pronouncements at this stage, he was privy to information which suggested the country “was in a better place” concerning the COVID-19 situation.
