During this week’s meeting of Cabinet, the primary issue of focus was the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on economic activity and the slowing uptake of the vaccination required to combat its negative health consequences.
While congratulating people who would have played important roles in bringing Antigua and Barbuda Covid-19 cases down to zero, the Cabinet is concerned over vaccination data reports.
In the weekly Cabinet notes it says, “an insufficient number of un-vaccinated adults still challenge the administration’s vaccine program.”
“Vaccine hesitancy” is a phenomenon being experienced globally; in some places, the inadequacy of supply of vaccines has prevented many countries from reaching broad swaths of their populations.
“That is not the case in Antigua and Barbuda where vaccines are readily available but the un-vaccinated have not been taking the multiple daily opportunities to safeguard themselves from sickness and even death” according to Cabinet notes.
Cabinet encourages all un-vaccinated adults to take the vaccine, especially as tourism resumes and many workers return to jobs that had disappeared since March 2020, when cruise ships discontinued their visits, and flights decreased significantly.