Nevis Premier Brantley encourages citizens to participate in vaccination drive

St Kitts and Nevis: Premier of Nevis & Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) Mark Brantley is advocating that all Nevisians get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Addressing at his monthly press conference on February 25, 2021, Premier Brantley Stated having taken his first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on February 25, 2021; he wanted to assure the public that it was safe.

“We say to get vaccinated. Don’t wait; vaccinate. The idea is that vaccinations have proven over the years, over the centuries, to be a good way to avoid disease.

“We thought it important to show our confidence in the process. We thought it important to step forward, cameras rolling that the public can see that we were comfortable and confident, that there was no risk and frankly the process, having gone through it, was painless, it was quick, it was efficient…I can say to the public I have no side effects whatsoever,” he said.

The Premier added that as more vaccines become available, persons should go out and get vaccinated free of cost. The Health Promotion Unit in the Ministry of Health is leading the education drive to provide information to the populace regarding COVID-19 vaccination.

“The vaccines are available. They will continue to roll out the public relations exercise; they will continue to roll out the campaign. They will continue to ensure that the people of Nevis are made aware and that they understand and recognize that getting vaccinated is really the way to go…

“I think that we need to just finish away with a lot of the chatter and just get to it, get it done, and keep us safe. Remember, nobody is safe until everybody is safe and so the idea really is that all of us should get vaccinated,” he stated.

Mr. Brantley commended the health officials and COVID-19 Task Forces on both islands for their efficiency in managing the spread of this virus in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The island of Nevis has had 12 reported cases since the pandemic first impacted the Federation in 2020. There have been no positive cases since January 06, 2021.

Premier Brantley admonished persons to continue to practice the established non-pharmaceutical protocols even with the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination program.

“The vaccine now provides us with that extra layer of protection. It is not to suggest that we abandon the non-pharmaceutical measures that have kept us safe thus far, because obviously, we remain to encourage our people to physically distance, to wear their masks when in public or interacting with other persons, and certainly to wash their hands frequently and sanitize,” he said.