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BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, June 30, 2021 (MMS-SKN) — As a high turnout was witnessed on Wednesday June 30 which was the last day for the administration of the first set of vaccines in the St. Kitts and Nevis Covid-19 vaccine rollout that had started in February, Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris is thanking the nurses who worked with a sense of dedication and patriotism to make the exercise a success.

“I would just like to place on record my deep appreciation, as the Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, for the hard work being done daily by our community nurses, and the higher echelons of the Ministry of Health,” said Prime Minister Harris.

“I want to thank the nurses for their faithfulness of service at this time when the country is undergoing a significant health challenge. They have stood tall in executing the task with a certain degree of seriousness, dedication and patriotism of which we all can be proud.”

Dr Harris made the remarks after he visited four health centres, the Sylvia Garnette Primary Health Care Facility in Tabernacle, Molineux Health Centre, New Town Health Centre and the Basseterre Health Centre in Irish Town, where he met and encouraged the nurses as they facilitated the vaccination rollout serving those who had mainly turned up for the second dose, and also those who came to take the first dose.

Noting that the last four days had seen a record turnout, the Honourable Prime Minister said those numbers were significant taking into consideration that persons were turning up at the health centres notwithstanding the high level of disinformation and misinformation, and propaganda by the Opposition to thwart what is in the best interest of the country. He said the country would not have reached that milestone without the nurses.

“So I want to thank the lead nurse, Davida Irish, who has been executing the community health programme,” said Dr Harris. “I want to thank all the other nurses, particularly those in my own constituency, Constituency Number Seven. In this regard, Nurse Paula Boddie-Dia at the Sylvia Garnette Primary Health Care Facility in Tabernacle and her team.”

He also thanked Community Nurse Manager Doris Bradshaw at the Molineux Health Centre, Community Nurse Manager Nikisha Moore and Nurse Vivian Baez Suarez at the New Town Health Centre, and Nurse Everlesse Taylor at the Basseterre Health Centre. Also coming in for commendation was Nurse Norine Gabriel of the New Town Health Centre, but who has been doing the vaccination programme on Saturdays and Sundays at the Sylvia Garnette Primary Health Care Facility in Tabernacle.

“I was happy today to have been able to go personally to say thank you to those at Tabernacle, to those in Molineux, to those at New Town, and to those at Irish Town, and to let them know as Prime Minister how pleased I am of their service and that at an appropriate time we will find more tangible ways to express the deep appreciation, not just of the Prime Minister but of the entire government and more so the people of St. Kitts and Nevis,” said the Honourable Prime Minister.

He added: “So to all the healthcare frontline people, the support staff, the nurses’ assistants, I want to say thank you to you all. It has been a team effort – a deep debt of gratitude. And while they have been attending to this global pandemic, they still have to do the normal other clinics that would form part of the Primary Healthcare System. So the response to Covid-19 superimposed on their daily routine at the health centres. May God continue to bless them, bless their families and may the Almighty God take us out of the shadow, out of the clutches, of Covid-19 in due course.”

Noting that he was pleased by the 1,235 persons who turned up for vaccination on Wednesday June 30, Dr Harris said that the country would take a sense pride in the knowledge that the majority of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis continue to respond to the government’s call to get themselves vaccinated because vaccination is still the most powerful tool available to protect themselves and those with whom they work, and the country.

“After tomorrow (Thursday July 1) we will still plough ahead,” pledged Prime Minister Harris. “The goal is to get everyone, not just 70 percent target but everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated to do so, in his or her best interest, that of their families, the communities, and indeed the entire country. The health of our nation is the wealth of our nation. We need healthy people to be able to make the kind of effective, productive contribution that the society needs to develop.”

In figures released by Director of Community Nursing Services, Nurse Davida Irish, a total of 1,235 persons received the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines, with 1,129 taking their second dose, and 106 receiving the first dose. Of that number, 1,051 (69 first dose and 982 second dose) were on St. Kitts, while 184 were on Nevis (37 first dose and 147 second dose).

New Town Health Centre led on St. Kitts with a total of 255 vaccinations (23 first dose, and 232 second dose). It was followed in order by Basseterre Health Centre 205 (18 and 187); St. Peter’s Health Centre 134 (9 and 125); Sandy Point Health Centre 96 (6 and 90); and Cayon Health Centre 90 (3 and 87).

Others were Molineux Health Centre 73 (3 and 70); Old Road Health Centre 66 (one and 65); Sylvia Garnette Primary Health Care Facility in Tabernacle 56 (3 and 53); St. Paul’s Health Centre 38 (second dose only); Saddlers Health Centre 31 (two and 29); and Dieppe Bay Health Centre 7 (one and 6).

On Nevis, the Gingerland Health Centre had 50 persons turning up for the vaccinations (3 and 47); Charlestown Health Centre 43 (22 and 21); Cotton Ground Health Centre 39 (5 and 34); Comberemere Health Centre 22 (two and 20); Butlers Health Centre 22 (one and 21); and Brown Hill Health Centre 8 (4 and 4).

As at the end of the day Wednesday June 30, a total of 69.4 percent of the target population had taken the first dose, while 57.2 percent of the target population had taken the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.