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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, February 24, 2021 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis kicked off its COVID-19 Vaccination Programme on Monday, February 22, with some 70 frontline workers and Ministers of Government stepping forward to accept their shot. 

Theprogramme continued on Tuesday with more frontline and essential workers being vaccinated at the designated locations. The programme will be ramped up over the next several weeks as more doses of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine are expected to arrive in the Federation this month and in March. 

PrimeMinister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, who was the second person in St. Kitts and Nevis to be administered the vaccine, said the Federation will receive more than 41,000 doses of the vaccine shortly. 

“In anticipation of the highest voluntary acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in modern times, my Government has over 41,600 doses of Astra-Zeneca vaccines on order with delivery over the coming weeks. We are bringing them in and making them available free of cost to every person eligible to receive them. We thank the COVAX Facility and all benefactors like Governments of Dominica, India, Taiwan, etcetera who have been helping us,” said Prime Minister Harris on the Tuesday, February 23 edition of Leadership Matters.

Dr. Harris further explained that the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission has made charter flight arrangements to bring 125,000 doses of vaccine by the most direct route from India to Saint Lucia, where individual distribution will be made via the Regional Security System (RSS). 

“The expected arrival of the charter is on or about February 26, 2021. The expectation is that the RSS plane will be in Saint Lucia awaiting the arrival of the charter plane coming from India. The cost of the charter is US$250,000 or just about EC$680,000.00. This cost will be met by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). I have, as Chairman of the ECCB Monetary Council, advised Governor Antoine to release the funds with the approval of Members of the Monetary Council,” the prime minister added. 

The 41,600 doses of vaccine St. Kitts and Nevis will receive will be in addition to the 2,000 doses the Federation has previously obtained.