Belize received its second shipment of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility on Wednesday, May 12th. The shipment of 33,600 doses was received by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) Deysi Mendez and personnel from the ministry.
Belize’s vaccine allocation is 100,800, and with this second delivery (same amount as in the first shipment), the country has now received a total of 67,200. The Minister of Health and Wellness, the Honourable Michel Chebat, commended the over 50,000 Belizeans who have been vaccinated. “By getting vaccinated, we are all contributing to contain the negative outcomes associated with COVID-19,” said Chebat.
The representative in Belize of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization, Dr. Noreen Jack, said that this new shipment of vaccines is reassuring. It means that those who have received their first doses can now receive their second dose without delay. “Additionally, using a platform like COVAX ensures fair and equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccinations for countries like Belize to keep their population protected against the virus,” said Dr. Jack.
This set of vaccines is expected to enhance MOHW’s efforts in delivering the jab to those in the distribution phases. It will also ensure that Belize continues to maintain low levels of community transmission. Belize received 26,000 doses from India and Barbados before the first batch via COVAX arrived on March 31st. With those vaccines and the doses secured through COVAX, Belize is expected to vaccinate 30% of its population.
In the meantime, until everyone is fully vaccinated, basic public health measures remain to contain the spread of the virus. This means using masks, proper hand hygiene, social distancing, proper ventilation of indoor environments, and avoiding crowded spaces. The rate of infections in Belize continues at a low, and as of Thursday, May 13th, there was a total of 44 active cases countrywide.
To access the vaccine, people can register from anywhere in the country by clicking here https://bit.ly/3bqnF8q.
In San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, registration can be done by filling out this online google form https://cutt.ly/RbJG0U0
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