What Vaccine Strategy?

MICHAEL ATCHIA

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In the first 10 days since receiving the 100,000 doses from India, we have vaccinated around 1,200 people, mostly frontliners. At this rate it would take about 18 years to vaccinate around 800,000 citizens! (the 60% of the population target of the Government).
Look at the situation in France last summer, Reunion next door, South Africa, and now South Korea and Portugal where relaxation of confinement measures led to massive infections, and to major second and third waves of COVID-19. And the case of those scientifically and economically ‘advanced’ countries like France, Spain, Italy, UK, USA and even Brazil which failed initially to control the virus: reflect on the 410,000 deaths in the USA by the end of the year, equivalent to a third of the Mauritian population!
We have been most successful in controlling the pandemic and staying COVID-Safe. As part of our preparedness, the Ministry of Health has already a very performing island-wide system in place which is used every year to vaccinate the elderly above 60 with flu vaccine. We are already training staff when it comes to the storage and administration of the COVID-19 vaccine. With the great volume of exchange (of people, goods, food, pharmaceuticals, technology products etc…) between us and the rest of the world, and the eventual re-opening of our frontiers, we have a real state of emergency to get the maximum possible number of people protected by the vaccine, ASAP.
What is the problem? Supply of vaccines? Many countries which do not produce this pharmaceutical are in difficulty. What is our situation? What agreements has Mauritius signed so far for vaccine supply? The population urgently needs information on the type and supply of vaccines and the protocol proposed by the Government as to when and where the vaccine will be delivered and exactly who will receive it.

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