BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — With 21,600 COVID-19 vaccines expected to arrive in the next month or two, St. Kitts and Nevis is gearing up to roll out its National Vaccine Deployment and Implementation Plan.

The vaccines developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University will be available through the COVID-19 Global Access (COVAX) Facility.

“The demand for a jab far exceeds the expected supply,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hazel Laws. “Health authorities will rely on the established plan to notify who will receive a vaccine in this initial phase.”

“Recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) will also be considered as the various groups and individuals are identified,” explained Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, Medical Chief of Staff of the Joseph N. France General Hospital.

“The recommendation is that persons at risk be vaccinated first,” said Dr. Wilkinson. “Frontline healthcare workers are the ones who are usually first, and then vulnerable, persons who are in nursing homes who may succumb from the disease.”

Dr. Laws noted that vulnerable persons include individuals suffering from multiple morbidities and other chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Persons with compromised immune systems are also a priority.

Dr. Laws indicated that vaccinations would likely not be mandatory. However, public education campaigns and other interventions will be employed to ensure that the public has all of the relevant information to make an informed decision about receiving a vaccine.

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