In a major development in the battle against the Coronavirus, Advisor to the Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy yesterday announced that the country’s COVID-19 vaccination programme will be extended from today to persons 18 years and older and he assured that there is no shortage of shots to provide second doses.
Ramsammy made the first disclosure in a post to his Facebook Page where he stated, “We go to all age groups starting at age 18 and above as of tomorrow for COVID-19 vaccination.” The surprise announcement came not long after Ramsammy in a press statement noted that the Ministry has not made any changes to the eligibility for inoculation.
The rationale behind the decision was not announced and it comes amid views that all persons who would like to be vaccinated should be offered the shot. Significant vaccine hesitancy has been reported in some communities here and this could affect the target date for the attainment of herd immunity – where around 80% of the population has been vaccinated.