Antigua and Barbuda to receive 21,000 doses of Pfizer from US

Antigua and Barbuda will receive 21,000 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines in the second trench from the United States of America. The doses are scheduled to arrive on 3 November 2021.

Health Minister Molwyn Joseph stated that the doses would be immediately used to vaccinate eligible secondary school students.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Rhonda Sealey Thomas stated that the authorities are considering reopening the schools for face to face classes.

After robust discussions, the CMO advised that based on the country's present epidemiological situation, all schools should return to face-to-face instruction from Tuesday 2 November 2021 and all eligible students are required to do so within fourteen days. CMO said the safety of children and students is their top priority.

Besides this, the Antigua and Barbuda cabinet agreed that all businesses with more than five employees must have their staff vaccinated to continue working.

The country is also moving forward to update vaccine cards and place QR codes that store the person's detailed vaccination information.