St Lucia applauds UK for donation of 10,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine

The Ministry of Health, Wellness and elderly affairs of St Lucia accepted the 10,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from the government of the United Kingdom during a handover ceremony.

While expressing her pleasure, the National Immunization Manager of St Lucia named Tecla Jabatis says she is extremely grateful for the donation of the vaccines, which will help to protect citizens against the viral infection of the SARS-CoV-2.

She further explained that the donation of these vaccines is timely as it comes at a time when the country has been out of stock for the past months.

"These vaccine benefits to the people of St Lucia and increase availability to the illegible population as part of our national effort to reach population immunity and help bring an end to the pandemic."

Further, the resident British Commissioner Leslie Sanderson also expressed her government's commitment to supporting St Lucia's efforts to ensure that vaccines are available to the people, and then in June last year, the prime minister of Britain pledged that the UK would provide a hundred million vaccines.

"The Chief Medical Officer of St Lucia and I have been in regular touch since the pledge was made by our prime minister, while the chief medical officer has been monitoring the demand and keeping an eye on minimizing the wastage of stocks here in St Lucia and that's why we are here today to deliver the consignment of ten thousand doses of oxford AstraZeneca that St Luca needs now."

The Minister of Health Wellness and elderly affairs of St Lucia Moses Jiabatis also expressed heartfelt gratitude to the people and government of the United Kingdom for the generous donation of the COVID-19 vaccine and said it would play a significant part in the vaccination drive.

"The people of the ULK are still battling with the deadly virus as people are still getting infected and some people unfortunately died, yet they have found it possible to use their resources and to their share, their resources with us even in the middle of this war, so I am very grateful," said the health minister.