TCI over 81% Vaccinated; Boosters not so high  

Shanieka Smith

Staff Writer

#TurksandCaicos, January 15, 2022 – While the Turks and Caicos Islands boasts one of the region’s and the world’s highest vaccination rates, the booster program is trudging along amidst what is almost certainly an omicron surge of Covid cases within the islands.

The Deputy Governor, Anya Williams, confirmed that TCI has 28,377 persons (81%) fully vaccinated in the adult population. Williams added that 4,623 (13%) have taken their booster shots and 821 children between the ages of 12-15 have been vaccinated.

This week Tuesday, the Cabinet announced its approval of 5-11 years olds to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

Despite the high rate of vaccination, the new surge in the contagion has proven that the vaccine does wane, and government is on record repeatedly calling for residents to “get boosterized”; a phrase coined by Jamell Robinson, the TCI Minister of Health and Human Services.

Still uptake has been flat, and now the hospitalisations and death tolls are climbing.

Five people have died Covid-19 related deaths in the Turks and Caicos since the emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus; hospitalisations went from zero to six in mere days.

As it relates to the different brands of vaccines available, the Deputy Governor informed, “the UK currently supplies the Pfizer and Astra Zeneca vaccines to its overseas territories.” She said, however, that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has not been included in previous supplies and would need to be requested separately by the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Health has not yet made that request.

The Deputy Governor shared that TCI currently has sufficient vaccine supplies to continue vaccinating and boosting residents.  Another shipment of vaccines is due from the UK via British Airways in February, if needed.