Nevis Health professionals getting ready for COVID-19 vaccination roll out

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 23, 2021) — Twenty health professionals on Nevis received World Health Organization (WHO) certification for participating in a training exercise “COVID-19 Vaccination Training for Health Care Workers” at the Disaster Management Department’s (NDMD) conference room on February 19, 2021.

Dr. Judy Nisbett, Chair of the Nevis COVID-19 Task Force told the Department of Information that the training will serve as a refresher course to administer the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine on Nevis.

“We are going to be doing a refresher course on vaccination, vaccination in general covering topics such as record keeping, the cool chain for example which involves keeping the vaccines cool throughout their journey from central stores to regional stores and eventually to the client so that their efficacy can be maintained.

“We will also be looking…at the AstraZeneca[-Oxford] vaccine, and all of this is in an effort to roll out the AstraZeneca vaccine in the population… So we have brought the health care workers together so that they can be more prepared for this roll out of the vaccination,” she said.

The participants were nurses, doctors, and some health care workers from the community health unit. Dr. Nisbett stated that the training session would not be the only one however, as the roll out commences and continues other health care workers would receive training to ensure a smooth roll out of the vaccination programme in the fight against COVID-19.

When the vaccination process commences, it will be available to the public at health centers throughout the island.

Dr. Nisbett, who is also the Medical Officer of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) used the opportunity to urge Nevisians and residents to get vaccinated to keep Nevis safe.

“I want to implore persons to take the vaccine. It will protect you from severe COVID-19 and keep our country safe. Our country has to be safe in order for the economy to get going again. So I implore persons to take the vaccine and to ensure that our country is covered and safe,” she said.

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