Low vaccination rate still a challenge in Region 10 – Health Minister

A low vaccination rate in Region 10 remains a challenge for the Ministry of Health, says subject Minister Dr. Frank Anthony.

And while the region has recorded the lowest number of persons vaccinated against the dreaded COVID-19, Minister Anthony on Friday revealed that it is also the region with the lowest testing rate.

Dr. Anthony, who was speaking during his daily COVID-19 update, said vaccination sites in the region are almost empty on the daily basis.

Some 5,693 persons in the region have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine; this accounts for 20.7 per cent of the adult population. The number for persons who received their second dose is even lower.

Dr. Anthony said 2,588 persons (9.4 per cent) of the region are fully vaccinated. The national average for vaccination regionally is 58.1 per cent.

Meanwhile, since March 2020, Region 10 recorded 8,265 tests, which have resulted in 1,585 positive cases. Of this number, 208 patients were hospitalised.

“Some of them were so critical we had to bring them down to the Ocean View facility,” Minister Anthony said.

Because many persons are not coming forward to be tested, the rate of confirmed infection is much lower.

“It’s not that the disease is not there, it’s just that people don’t want to be tested and if you are not tested then we can’t for sure say you have COVID or not,” Dr. Anthony said.

So far, 47 persons who tested positive from the region have died.

Dr. Anthony is urging all leaders in the region to get on board and talk to the people so that they can get vaccinated and protect themselves and others from the more severe form of the virus.

To date, 58.1 per cent of the adult population in the country have received their first dose COVID vaccine, while 29.8 per cent are fully vaccinated.