BVI News

COVID-19 vaccines arrive in the territory!

The AstraZeneca vaccine for COVID-19. (Reuters photo)

The 8,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines which were procured by the United Kingdom have finally arrived in the British Virgin Islands.

It arrived at the Terrance B Lettsome International Airport today Thursday, February 4.

Governor John Rankin along with Premier Andrew Fahie, Health Minister Carvin Malone, Transportation Minister Kye Rymer and Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronald Georges, were all part of the delegation at the airport to receive the vaccine cargo.

Speaking on the arrival of the vaccine, Governor Rankin said he was delighted the vaccine had finally arrived as he believes it will be “a real game-changer”.

 “It is a very effective vaccine, it’s a safe vaccine, it protects people against the virus and the evidence also shows that it protects people from transmitting it to others. So I believe I have an effective vaccine roll out to as many people as possible receiving the vaccine, it can help our frontline workers, it can help our older population, it can help the tourism and the economy get back on its feet,” Rankin said.

“It’s a real sign of a big partnership and I certainly want to work with the Premier, the minister and the health officials in making sure that this is an effective roll-out,” he added.

Good sign of UK-BVI partnership

Premier Fahie also shared similar sentiments to the Governor, adding that the 8,000 units from the UK is a good sign of the UK-BVI partnership and adds to work that the territory commenced since March 2020.

“This also helps complement what our health team have been doing for the last few months and what millions we have spent in our territory on the people of the Virgin Islands, trying to make sure that we combat and contain COVID-19 as it is good for our tourism product, good for our health overall and our people,” the Premier stated.

12,000 more vaccines to arrive in coming weeks

He added that the territory will be receiving at least 12,000 more units of the vaccines in the coming weeks.

“With this 8,000 units now from the UK and the 12,000 units we have purchased and have already signed for last year in being proactive before we knew about this, [we’ll have a total of] 20,000 units upfront. The other 12,000 units will probably be here in late February or early March and then more units would be coming from the UK in increments of 8,000 units,” Fahie explained.

Vaccines storage provided through public-private partnership

In the meantime, Health Minister Malone said the vaccines will be safely transported from the airport to a secured storage facility which is being provided through a public-private partnership between local organisations and the BVI government.

He said; “RoadTown Wholesale has basically for a very small fee donated the space with the help of the combined Rotary family. They were able to purchase the refrigeration, pay for the space for up to a year and they have invested over $13,500 with us.”

According to Malone, once the distribution logistics have been completed, the administering of the vaccines will commence and will be distributed at nine or 10 distribution sites.

The minister said the location of those sites will be announced shortly.

So far, Governor Rankin and Minister Malone have publicly stated they will take the vaccine.

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53 Comments

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  1. Facts says:

    Let the Government and their families to be the first and then we the community follow after months let’s see their results

    Like 32
    Dislike 11
    • Lol says:

      Don’t be an asshat. The vaccine works.

      People who complain about it or think it doesn’t work think they can drink bush tea to cure themselves of AIDS. You must be one of them.

      Get effin vaccinated and be part of the cure.

      Like 24
      Dislike 22
    • Nope. says:

      It should be medical workers first & then the older people. We don’t want Government Ministers jumping the line.

      Like 13
      Dislike 5
    • Little Faith says:

      Oh ye of little FAITH! Has not your Creator kept you and your household safe and alive from the spirit of death last March 2020 . That you question and doubt Him to keep you alive till He comes back? Have you forgotten His goodness? Has He changed that you trust in a Game Changer? Where is your Faith? As it is written when the Son of man comes back will He find FAITH in the earth?

      Like 5
      Dislike 5
  2. Dreads says:

    Make it mandatory for all them island people please

    Like 7
    Dislike 42
    • Island ? Man. says:

      Yes we don’t have a problem taking them.

      Like 15
      Dislike 4
      • BVIslander says:

        Why we taking the DNA changing vacinne that allows us to be tracked when our people don’t get the Covid

        Like 3
        Dislike 8
        • @BVIslander says:

          If you believe it changes your DNA then you should welcome the vaccine…maybe it will make your DNA smarter!

          Like 9
          Dislike 4
        • Fart says:

          Sometimes I think we have Medieval people living among us. With all the education we have today, why are there still people who think a vaccine can change your DNA?
          Also, even if it were true, and it isn’t, surely those that would take it could not tell anyone who hadn’t taken it!
          There are idiots among us.

    • RESTRAIN says:

      Are you the Beast from the East. As long as the Bride of Christ is on this earth SATAN and HIS GANGSTERS have NO POWER OVER ELOHIM’S CREATION. HIM(THE HOLY SPIRIT) THAT LETTETH WILL LET UNTIL HE BE TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY.

      Like 1
      Dislike 6
    • Jane says:

      BVI government cannot constitutionally require Belongers to take this but they definitely can require that all non-Belongers get this as a requirement of entry (either as a tourist or a work permit holder).

      I expect that this will be a requirement (and should be) for people wanting the privilege of calling BVI home in the future.

      All the idiot non-belonger anti-vaxxers out there are about to get a nasty shock when this happens.

    • @Dreads says:

      Make it mandatory for all pale skins from Europe America and South America also.

      Afterall, we are not having serious infections and deaths, they are.

  3. RTW says:

    THANK YOU!

    Like 13
    Dislike 3
  4. Soothsayer says:

    The COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford shouldn’t be given to people over age 65, Germany’s main public health agency recommended on Thursday 28th January 2021, multiple media outlets reported – Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce

    https://www.businessinsider.com/germany-people-over-65-years-shouldnt-get-astrazeneca-covid-19-shot-2021-1?r=US&IR=T

    Like 12
    Dislike 13
  5. Bossman says:

    The official draft list of possible side effects, compiled by the FDA (the US – Food and Drug Administration):

    Guillain-Barre syndrome
    Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis
    Transverse myelitis
    Encephalitis
    Myelitis
    Encephalomyelitis
    Meningoencephalitis
    Meningitis
    Encephalopathy
    Convulsions
    Seizures
    Stroke
    Narcolepsy
    Cataplexy
    Anaphylaxis
    Acute myocardial infarction (heart attack)
    Myocarditis
    Pericarditis
    Autoimmune disease
    Death
    Pregnancy, Birth outcomes
    Other acute demyelinating diseases
    Non anaphylactic allergy reactions
    Thromocytopenia
    Disseminated intravascular coagulation
    Venous thromboembolism
    Arthritis
    Arthralgia
    Joint pain
    Kawasaki disease
    Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children
    Vaccine enhanced disease

    You aren’t necessarily going to get all of those or even any of them if you have the vaccine. But those are the possible side effects that the FDA has listed. They’re all unpleasant, most of them very serious and you can’t get more serious than death.

    Like 16
    Dislike 9
    • @Bossman says:

      I will take my chances with COVID itself, thank you!!

      Like 10
      Dislike 7
    • Pregnant? says:

      So you are saying a side effect is that you can get pregnant?!!!
      If you read the literature carefully it says you shouldn’t take the vaccine if pregnant…

      Like 4
      Dislike 3
    • Rubber Duck says:

      Total crap spread by cretins.

      Like 4
      Dislike 3
    • Really says:

      Did you ever read the fine print for any medication on the market? That means you are taking nothing, not even Aspirin.

    • And.. says:

      Don’t forget Uromysitisis. That is the worst!

    • True but.... says:

      What are the odds that at any of these will happen given the millions already vaccinated? What are the odds of a meteorite wiping out Tortola? Or, of meeting someone who wants to give you $ 1 million in cash? Or, of the queen inviting Foy to take over parliament in UK. Any of these things could happen, but are very unlikely to happen, and no one is going to bet that any of those things will happen, just like I would bet none of the potential side effects won’t happen in the VIs

    • BVI Gold says:

      Possible side effects of aspirin:
      Rash
      Gastrointestinal ulceration
      Abdominal pain
      Upset stomach
      Heartburn
      Nausea
      Vomiting
      Anaphylaxis
      Hemolytic anemia
      Interstitial nephritis
      Bronchospasm
      Seizures
      Wheezing
      These are just SOME possible side effects.In no way am I comparing aspirin with a COVID vaccine but simply want to make the point that there is no medication without possible side effects and many listed are rare,however some may result in death.One needs to compare the risk of getting vaccinated with risk of not getting vaccinated and encountering complications of COVID disease.I have already received two doses of the Pfizer Biontech vaccine with no side effect other than mild arm pain that lasted for less than 24 hours.I work in healthcare and have seen the devastation caused by this disease.Be blessed !

  6. Bulldawg says:

    So is this vaccine free of charge like ever other country or not? I hope the government don’t come charging us for what’s free to us. If its free in the big countries it should be free for us here in the Virgin Islands as well.

    Like 7
    Dislike 3
  7. Charnele says:

    Dread, why is it the we, blacks don’t love each other it’s such a shame, and we wonder why other race hate us. Why would you want to wish evil or bad for your fellow men. Black people please wake up and we think we are the most religious people on the planet.

    Like 7
    Dislike 1
  8. Avalon says:

    Says Recombinant?
    Does it contain MRC-5?

  9. Remain Skeptical. Mr. Health Minister says:

    Again, with the horrific history of Whyte manufactured vaccines and the horrors and deaths Blacks have experienced because of deliberate attempts by governments to harm, disfigure and kill Black people, the BVI government should put its Black population at risk before getting full verification from an independent chemical scientific institution to ascertain that those vaccines are safe, and are intended for only what they are manufactured to for, covid protection.

    Whether the following statement is true or not, the VIP government should not go to sleep nightly knowing that it might have subjected its citizens to and reduce them to being guinea pigs.

    It should spend some money and verify that those vaccines are safe to inject into their citizens.

    Many will not feel this way, while equal amounts do. Thus, the problem.

    Trust, for some, cannot be manufactured. Confidence once lost is not easily restored.

    Given what has transpired in India, all over Africa, South America and certain parts of the Caribbean with intentionally disfiguring and killing vaccines, who in their right mind will not be skeptical about these over night developments of hurriedly manufactured vaccines, because white were being greatly affected by the virus, when HIV, tuberculosis, asthma. yellow fever and malaria have been raging on earth killing and maiming for decades and they made no vaccinal effort to eradicate any those?

    Like 7
    Dislike 12
    • Rubber Duck says:

      Total crap. And may the first to die following your ignorant jungle juju curse you forever.

      Like 5
      Dislike 3
    • Agreed says:

      Say the truth!

      This yet another attempt by the U.K. to enslave us! This has the stuff to be guinea pigs and may even breed us out! That’s what the U.K. wants. To take a generation out of the BVI and then put people back in power over us.

      No suh

      Like 4
      Dislike 7
  10. Jokers says:

    You all dont think twice about when the Dr gives you antibiotics, you drink a soda or eat a leg of chicken. There is no vaccine for stupidty, which means some of you will stay as you are

    Like 17
    Dislike 3
  11. @Jokers says:

    Jokers perish from/for lack of knowledge. That is fact.

    Like 10
    Dislike 1
  12. Choice says:

    If it is a choice to take or not, then great. It is not doing any good to bash one another because of a personal decision if you choose to take it or not. Anyone that takes it should feel safe and not worry about who takes it because you made your choice. After taking the vaccine and you still have worries about who has not taken it then you are not confident with the vaccine. From documents I have read it is no magic bullet, it is authorized for emergency use that means it skipped a lot of steps to get approval only for emergency use. You can also catch COVID even after taking it, but they said less likely to die, mmmh. Usually, vaccine candidates sign nondisclosures and even get paid for testing new drugs/vaccines etc and if they die you are less likely to know about it. Vaccine Manufacturers cannot be sued either, I think that’s sinister, free guinea pig testing without any liability. Phase 3 of this magic bullet that’s not a cure but can maybe protect not my words theirs.
    Where is the emergency locally?
    Have any of the ventilators been used? (well, I do hope that we wouldn’t need to either)
    Why skip the UK which is in far greater need than the OTs?
    Why not have some backbone and tell citizens the truth?
    With all the travel restrictions we can manage the handful of tourist that’s visiting by then with other big countries leading the way, let them build herd immunity.
    Are you afraid to ask questions or do you get mad at those who do?
    Are you Fearless or Fearful?
    Do you know all the data provided to you have conflict of interest and cannot be fair and impartial?
    Do you know there is not yet an independent study and during this program you will be monitored to see both short term and long-term effects? (sounds like an experiment to me)
    The argument about past vaccines will come up and the same thing applies, you’re now finding doctors, researchers etc breaking the silence on what is inside these vials. The healthcare workers, doctors etc they themselves can’t tell you every single ingredient inside a vaccine other than the information provided to them from the manufacturer themselves.
    The FDA approve stuff and then recalls them in the same instance. Are these human errors or they turn a blind eye because other incentives? I can throw away a recalled product if not consumed but after I’m injected with something that might be recalled, who will be held liable?
    With that I’ll step aside and everyone who makes their choice GOOD Luck…… May God Be with you also.
    The data shows we had 1 so called death due to that person being immune compromised. The data also shows a positive result is not a case if not hospitalized.
    The data also shows they she should revaluate the way they report deaths, cases etc.
    I dear anyone to look up GAVI and who are all stakeholders.
    These are all vaccine programs, and they said it themselves this will be an ongoing something for years to come. New strains, no brains and continued pains. Some persons are just lazy to not look for themselves and call everything a conspiracy once you go against one narrative.
    FEAR will make some of you do anything even encourage others to join a suicide mission.

    Like 3
    Dislike 2
  13. Reflector says:

    GROW UP !!

    Like 1
    Dislike 2
  14. Research First says:

    To fast track the making of this Covid-19 vaccine they skipped the animal testing phase. Do you really want to be the experiment for this vaccine. I think not. And there is no proof that this vaccine actually stops the transmission of the virus – there has not been time to prove this. They have tried many times over the years to come up with a Coronavirus vaccine but all efforts failed the animal testing stage. Think for yourself, do your research. Find out the truth.

  15. Research First says:

    Do your research and think for yourself. No animal studies were done with this Covid 19 vaccine. Do you want to be a part of an experiment? I think not. All previous attempts to make a Coronavirus vaccine over the years ALL failed during animal testing. This is completely an experimental vaccine and they dont even know if it will prevent you from getting Covid 19 – there has not been enough time to prove it. Do your research, think for yourself.

    Like 1
    Dislike 1
  16. Local girl says:

    I’m still in my prime, 45 to be exact, I want to have 2 more youngons, can someone please tell me if this vaccine will make me impotent or sterile?
    My cousin in the states told me that I can get syphilis gonorrhea and clamidia from it.
    I never had any sexually transmitted diseases in my life not even the round of applause nor the runnings.

  17. Jah Know says:

    I thought the BVI was a Christian community, now all of a sudden you put your trust in the vaccine over God to keep you safe from the virus? ?? Jokes. Now God’s wonder powers aren’t strong enough? You ppl who boasting about getting ready to take your second dose and who already did, you’re still gonna get the virus and transmit it when exposed to it. Just like the flu vaccine and ppl who takes it.

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