As Government rolled out its vaccination plan on Wednesday, there was great interest on how this process was going to unfold.
Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong said the campaign to get people vaccinated was now on.
The first 6000 frontline workers, he said, would not only initiate the vaccination campaign but the program would also help in ensuring people could see how safe the vaccine was.
He hoped it would encourage people to come forward to register and volunteer for the program. The vaccination program, he said, went beyond health.
“This campaign will also serve for us to be able to utilise as a means to open up the borders and also as a means to negotiate how we can endeavor to improve our economic recovery efforts,” he said.
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination program was rolled out at the Nadi International Airport.
Lautoka Hospital consultant anaesthetist Dr Mara Vukivukiseru, the first Fijian in the country to receive the jab, described the experience as “the first beautiful step in the right direction”.
Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete said no Fijian would pay for the vaccine because Government had set aside $75 million to ensure Fiji kept receiving regular doses. The first 6000 vaccines, he said, would be administered to airport and frontline workers.
There can be no doubts about the need for us to be part of the process of bringing back some semblance of order to our lives.
The World Health Organization reiterated, on its official website, that the world is in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic.
It said, as WHO and partners work together on the response — tracking the pandemic, advising on critical interventions, distributing vital medical supplies to those in need- they are racing to develop and deploy safe and effective vaccines.
Vaccines, it said, save millions of lives each year. They work by training and preparing the body’s natural defences — the immune system- to recognise and fight off the viruses and bacteria they target.
After vaccination, if the body is later exposed to those disease-causing germs, the body is immediately ready to destroy them, preventing illness.
As of February 18, 2021, it said, at least seven different vaccines across three platforms had been rolled out in countries. Vulnerable populations in all countries are the highest priority for vaccination.
At the same time, more than 200 additional vaccine candidates are in development, of which more than 60 are in clinical development.
Vaccines are a critical new tool in the battle against COVID-19, it said, and it is encouraging to see so many vaccines proving successful and going into development.
Working as quickly as they can, it said, scientists from across the world are collaborating and innovating to bring tests, treatments and vaccines that will collectively save lives and end this pandemic.
While safe and effective vaccines will be a gamechanger: the WHO warned, for the foreseeable future we must continue wearing masks, physically distancing and avoiding crowds.
Apparently, being vaccinated does not mean that we can throw caution to the wind and put ourselves and others at risk. We are fortunate that we are one of the few COVID-contained nations on the planet.
We should be encouraged by the rollout of our vaccination plan.
