St Lucia gets 25,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from India

The arrival of the Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the Caribbean continues. St Lucia has received its share of 25,000 doses of the vaccine, which flew from Mumbai, India, on Saturday.

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet himself reached the airport to witness the arrival of the vaccines.

The Oxford-Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccines arrived from India as a gift from the world's second-most populous country. These doses are manufactured by the Serum Institute of India that produces more than 150 million doses of various types of vaccines yearly.

The vaccines were made possible through the bilateral ties of OECS Chairman and Prime Minister of Dominica Dr. Roosevelt Skerrit.

Dominica had donated over 3000 doses of the COVISHIELD vaccine when it received around 70,000 doses from India earlier this month.

Earlier Monday morning, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts, and Nevis received their share of the vaccines.

India- a country of 1.38 billion people, is helping other developing nations by donating Oxford-Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines are marked as a gift from the people and government of India.

Who should be vaccinated first?

While the vaccine supply is limited, it is recommended that high-risk health workers and older people, including those aged 65 or over, be given preference.

Who else can take the vaccine?

Vaccination is recommended for people with co-morbidities identified as increasing the risk of severe COVID-19, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes.

Although further studies are needed for people living with HIV or autoimmune diseases or who are immunocompromised, people in this division who are part of a group approved for vaccination may be injected after getting information and counseling.

Immunization can be awarded to people who have had COVID-19 in the past. But people may want to delay their own COVID-19 immunization for up to six months from the SARS-CoV-2 infection so that others who urgently need the vaccination can go first.

Vaccination can be offered to women who are breastfeeding if they are part of a group that is being vaccinated. WHO does not recommend stopping breastfeeding after immunization.

Should pregnant women be vaccinated? While pregnant women are at higher risk for severe COVID-19, there is very little data available to determine vaccine safety during pregnancy.

Pregnant women may get the immunization if the benefit of preventing a pregnant woman exceeds the possible vaccine risks.

For this reason, pregnant women at high risk for exposure to SARS-CoV-2 (eg, health workers) or co-morbidities that contribute to their risk of a serious illness can be vaccinated in consultation with their healthcare provider.