Connect with us

Health

COVID Vaccines on the verge of Expiration and Dumping

Published

on

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

 

#TurksandCaicos, August 20, 2022 – The Turks and Caicos‘s islands have a very high rate of vaccine driven herd immunity but low booster uptake is putting it at risk and the islands may be approaching a vaccine dump if citizens remain reluctant; with some doses just over a month from expiring.

This is according to Acting Minister of Health E. Jay Saunders who explained that herd immunity occurred when 70 to 85% of a population was immune to a disease. Based on initial vaccination the islands would’ve been well above the threshold needed to secure herd immunity but compared to those early numbers barely anyone is taking their boosters.

There are 30 288 fully vaccinated individuals in the Turks and Caicos but only 7,272 are boosted; this is around 23 percent of the vaccinated population.

In terms of those who are double vaxxed the numbers are even lower, only 2,939 or around 9 percent of the population.

This is dangerous, Saunders said as it has been proven with COVID-19 vaccine that they have a tendency to wane over time and the majority of islanders were vaccinated more than 6 months prior- meaning lower efficacy.

It also means valuable doses are going to waste.  When the Turks and Caicos’ COVID-19 booster program was rolled out on October 4, 2021, the country was at the end of its fifth tranche of vaccines from the UK which was some 5,850 doses.

Between October and December a sixth and seventh round of vaccines were delivered to the islands from the UK.

While the government did not say how many doses were included in the sixth batch, the seventh had over 9,300 doses and another batch was delivered in February  according to deputy Governor Anya Williams.

Each shipment of vaccines from the UK usually has exceeded 5,000 doses. Now, in August a little over 10,200 booster shots have been administered.

Dr Jeremy Myers, Deputy Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health and Human Services confirmed that certain doses were set to expire in September.

“Doses in Providenciales actually expire at the end of September. We do know, especially coming back to back to school some people traveled recently. We do strongly encourage, while you are doing your back to school shopping, to get a back-to-school booster.”

Uptake is also low for pediatric doses, (children under 5) with only 162 children being vaccinated with the first dose and only 128 receiving a second dose. The acting minister did not give an update on the 5 to 11 age group which also received vaccines earlier this year.

Expiry dates for purple-capped Pfizer vaccines which the UK provides to the Turks and Caicos were extended an additional three months from their initial six month shelf life provided they were kept in the prescribed temperature and conditions. Orange-capped vaccines which the island utilizes for young children and grey-capped vaccines have a shelf life of one year.  No Pfizer vaccine regardless of storage condition or dosage should be used after 12 months.

Turks and Caicos Islands have dumped Covid-19 vaccines before; nearly all of the 300 doses of AstraZeneca branded vaccines received in March 2021 expired due to low interest in the product.

Expiry dates are calculated based on the manufacture date and therefore must be discarded 12 months after being produced.

“We’re doing very badly as a country with people taking their boosters.— if you’ve been vaccinated try to get your boosters every six months,” urged Saunders.

Caribbean News

Haiti Food Insecurity Rising

Published

on

 

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

 

#Haiti#FoodInsecurity, March 25th, 2024 Half of Haiti’s population or nearly 5 million people are classified as food insecure for the period March to June 2024, a projected 50 percent increase up from 45 percent from August 2023 to February 2024. This is according to the Haitian Government in a March 23rd report, as informed by an update from an IPC1 analysis. The factors contributing to the continued decrease in food security, the report says, include the increase of the food basket by 22 percent as of February 2024 and the worsening Violence which disrupts food supply chains.

Continue Reading

Health

Dengue in Pregnant Women in Brazil Increased

Published

on

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Dengue#PregnantWomen#Brazil, March 22nd, 2024 – Dengue cases among pregnant women in Brazil have increased significantly in 2024, at 5,151 in the first six weeks, compared to 1,157 in the same period in 2023, according to the Brazilian Ministry of Health. In response, a manual for prevention and specialized care for pregnant women with and at risk of dengue, was launched. These women are at risk of complications like stillbirth, growth restriction of the unborn child and maternal illness and death.This was revealed in a March 20 report from PAHO.

 

 

 

 

Continue Reading

Caribbean News

InterHealth Canada -Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital Celebrates Success in ‘The Diamond Challenge’

Published

on

(Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – March 15th, 2024): InterHealth Canada -Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital proudly announce the completion of ‘The Diamond Challenge’, a virtual competition that showcased the innovative improvement initiatives of six dedicated healthcare professional teams.

This competition spotlighted the organization’s commitment to patient safety and organizational excellence through creative poster displays. These displays, slated for exhibition across the Hospital, represent ongoing programs, new endeavours and industry changes in clinical practice and quality improvement. Quality improvement is the systematic approach that is guided by data to improve the quality and safety of healthcare delivery.

For over a year, participating teams meticulously prepared for ‘The Diamond Challenge, ‘ culminating in presenting posters and oral pitches before a panel of external judges. The initiatives, implemented between 2021 and 2023, were selected based on their demonstrable impact on and improvement of the Hospital’s operating environment. The judging panel featured prominent healthcare experts, including Richard Wylde, Deputy Director for Improvement at Leeds and York NHS Foundation Trust, England; Dr. Ali Hojjati, Lead Advisor at Accreditation Canada; and Jaymi Chernoff, Director of Critical Care Network at Kelowna General Hospital, Canada.

“Continuously improving healthcare quality and safety is a key goal for healthcare systems, aiming to enhance efficiency, reduce expenses, and ensure excellent patient outcomes”, explained Isha Honore, Quality Risk and Patient Safety Manager. She added, “Improving healthcare quality is the responsibility of everyone, including staff and patients. Through this program, we successfully integrated a diverse team of professionals and patient advisors. Each person in the system offers valuable insights and vital contributions to maintaining quality and safety standards. The active participation and understanding of all team members ensure that quality improvement initiatives are effective, relevant, successful, and sustainable.”

Dr. Denise Braithwaite, Chief Executive Officer of InterHealth Canada- Turks and Caicos Islands Hospital, expressed her pride in the competition’s outcomes, saying, “The outstanding work presented by the Diamond Challenge teams serves as a testament to the unwavering dedication to enhancing patient care and safety demonstrated by our healthcare professionals. Their innovative initiatives exemplify our steadfast commitment to fostering a culture of excellence within our organization, driving us towards continued success in providing our community the highest standard of care.”

The top three initiatives concentrated on fostering a Culture of Safety, covering fall prevention, workplace violence, and infection control education projects.

As we celebrate the success of ‘The Diamond Challenge,’ we are dedicated to continuously refining our approach to healthcare quality and safety, leveraging the expertise of industry leaders to drive innovation and excellence.

Continue Reading

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

TRENDING