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Time for Barbados Government to Issue Mandatory Vaccination Directive

If the blogmaster were Prime Minister of Barbados the following edict would be issued as at 6PM today:

  1. Effective 15 October 2021 all persons entering banks and supermarkets will be required to show proof of being vaccinated for COVID 19 as well as adhering to existing COVID 19 protocols.
  2. Effective 1 November 2021 all medical personnel must be vaccinated as well as to adhere to existing COVID 19 protocols.

The blogmaster is aware the legislative framework will have to be tweaked to support. To manage a public health crisis prioritizing an amendment to existing legislation should command unanimous support in parliament.

It is obvious to all Barbadians community spread of the coronavirus is out of control in Barbados, confirmed by key medical personnel on the frontline. The virus is exerting extreme pressure on healthcare services in Barbados. The mouthings of a seldom seen or heard Minister of Labour should be punished in the context of the ongoing public health crisis on a trajectory to get worse. This is no time for rh political games.

It is times like now real leaders must stand-up for the good of country..

358 responses to “Time for Barbados Government to Issue Mandatory Vaccination Directive”

  1. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ David Bu
    I am happy that you are not Prime-minister of Barbados. In the light of the scientific information published,I fail to see how possession of a vaccination certificate will arrest the community spread.

  2. David Avatar
    David

    Allow the blogmaster to be very clear. The evidence in Barbados and internationally confirms that more unvaccinated people are burdening the healthcare system. Comments which challenge data from trusted sources will be deleted. This is no time for people who have nothing to do to infect the environment with uncertainty for too many gullible people. Who do not like this policy can go elsewhere and post.

  3. David Avatar
    David

    @Vincent

    Did you do comprehension at school? Did you read the part of the burden the virus is placing on the healthcare system?

    Unvaccinated people were 11 times more likely to die of covid-19, CDC report finds

    The delta variant is putting America’s hospitals back in crisis mode

  4. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    Effective 15 October 2021 all persons entering banks and supermarkets will be required to show proof of being vaccinated for COVID 19 as well as adhering to existing COVID 19 protocols
    Xcxxx
    Are u an arse hole or what
    Now u are stepping very close to confiscation of people money and call for action by way of a class action law suits by the cutomers against the bank
    Also the contract between the bank and customer does not give the bank permission to intervene or act upon a person medical history
    The most the bank can do is to stop accepting money from unvaccinated people
    Such also has to be placed by media or local announcement under the Freedom of Information Act

  5. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    Both groups are spreading the Delta…vaccinated and unvaccinated…..that is what too many are not getting through their heads…percentages or not, that’s the reality…..spread is spread, it does not ask for specifics….ya can’t escape any of that…

  6. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ David Bu
    I did and with high grades.
    I am glad that you clarified the position that it is the pressure put on the health facilities that is the real problem. That problem needs to be addressed frontally. Both vaccinated and the unvaccinated comprise the numbers that put pressure on these facilities.

  7. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    All the unvaccinated gotta do until they make up their minds, is remove their money from the banking system…again, ATM, online banking, offhshore banking, Paypal etc, home deliveries, a no-brainer…while everyone is getting all hot and bothered, those who would not have vaccinated early in the year, are now doing so…..there are those who will before year end…with out BEING PRESSURED..

  8. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ WURA at 1:04 PM

    Thank you very much for reinforcing the danger of not clearly defining the problem and the additional problems David’s remedy would cause.

  9. David Avatar
    David

    @Vincent

    Here is the latest dashboard for your information. The blogmaster has no patience with your line of argument if it is clear unvaccinated in isolation/quarantine out number the vaccinated. This is no time to be pedantic.

    Have the last word on this matter.

    https://barbadostoday.bb/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/C37C8998-2E86-493A-9664-132E5753B75E-730×456.jpeg

  10. David Avatar
    David

    The blogmaster supports the learned opinion of prominent lawyer Garth Patterson on the matter.

    Make vaccines mandatory; it is who we are

    By Garth St E.W. Patterson

    We, as a proud, independent, sovereign people, have for centuries staunchly advocated our unwavering commitment to independence as a nation and our unshakeable faith in fundamental human rights and freedoms.
    These principles are enshrined in our Constitution, which provides a window into the soul of our nation – of who we are, the values we adhere to and the core tenets that define us as a civilised society. It provides the framework for Government, defines the core rights of the governed and represents the legal manifestation of the social contract under which we, as a collective of individuals, agree to live in a community committed to the rule of law.
    The debate about mandatory vaccinations in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic has forced us all to closely look within ourselves and to critically examine just exactly who we are as a nation and as a civilised society. Proponents of mandatory vaccinations point to the Government’s obligation to pass laws aimed at protecting its citizenry from the vagaries of the virus; while opponents invoke the ubiquitous rights and freedoms enjoyed by each individual to choose whether or not to be vaccinated. This tension between individual rights and the duty of the Government to govern is not novel and any resolution of this conflict must inevitably depend on the faithful application of the law by our constitutional institutions.
    Individual rights
    Section 11 of the Constitution declares that every person in Barbados is entitled to the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual, including the right to life, liberty and security of the person. Within the context of the vaccination debate, the exact source or origin of the right or freedom to choose not to be vaccinated is not entirely clear.
    To be sure, there is no provision in the Constitution that guarantees the right not to be vaccinated. Opponents to vaccination will likely point to the constitutionally guaranteed protection of security of the person, as implying the right to protection from state-sanctioned violation of his or her body by the injection of vaccines.
    However, the fundamental rights provisions of the Constitution do not confer the unfettered entitlement to the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual. Those rights are expressed, by the Constitution, to be subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest.
    State’s power
    At the other end of this spectrum is the question of the source of the state’s power to mandate vaccines. Section 48 of the Constitution confers on the Parliament of Barbados the power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of Barbados. The grant of powers carries with it a duty to exercise those powers. Proponents will argue that the Government has not only the power but a duty to pass laws mandating vaccines in the interests of protecting the public health. The failure to act may amount to dereliction of duty and the betrayal of the public trust.
    Parliament’s law-making powers are not absolute. Any law made by it owes fealty to and must faithfully uphold the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution or else it will be susceptible to challenge in the courts as being unconstitutional.
    Vaccine opponents will argue that any proposed law that makes vaccination mandatory will violate the fundamental rights provisions of the Constitution. The untenable nature of that argument becomes obvious, however, when the limits imposed on the constitutional powers and protections are placed within their proper context.
    Respect for the public interest is a central theme that runs throughout the fabric of the Constitution and qualifies the entitlement to and exercise of individual fundamental rights and freedoms. Section 11 confirms that those fundamental rights and freedoms are subject to “limitations designed to ensure that the enjoyment of the said rights and freedoms by any individual does not prejudice the rights and freedoms of others or the public interest”.
    Many of the fundamental rights provisions carve out exceptions whereby laws are expressed not to be inconsistent with or in contravention of the Constitution where they make provision that is reasonably required in the interests of, among other things, defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health or otherwise for the purpose of protecting the rights or freedoms of other persons.
    Public health considerations are obvious matters that lie within the ambit of the so-called “public interest”. The scheme of the Constitution makes it clear that, in appropriate circumstances, public health considerations will outweigh and trump fundamental rights and freedoms. Where those conditions exist, the Government, in the exercise of its duty to make laws, has the undoubted power
    to pass laws that are in the interest of preserving public health, even where those laws may contravene otherwise constitutionally protected individual rights or freedoms. The Government not only has the right to do so, but also a duty, if the exigencies of the public interest demand it. The scheme of the Constitution contemplates, in appropriate cases, the subordination of individual rights and freedoms to the protection of the public interests.
    Mandatory vaccination programmes are nothing new. In 1905, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of Jacobson vs Massachusetts, 197 US 11 that a state can mandate vaccines by imposing “reasonable regulations” to protect the public health, even when such regulations interfere with individual rights. There is no logical reason why our courts would, or should, decline to adopt a similar approach.
    Explosion of cases
    Over the past several weeks, the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus has caused an explosion of new cases that has reverberated across the globe. Barbados has not been spared, and in the first two weeks of September this year 1 025 new cases have been added, of which 124 cases were diagnosed on September 14 alone. The implications for the future exponential increase in the souls affected by the virus are alarming and should awaken the consciences of even the most indifferent among us.
    The core scientific data on vaccinations is beyond dispute and informs us that vaccinations are effective in protecting the public, not only from contagion of the disease but also from serious sequelae in the form of hospitalisations or death. A high vaccination rate within the population will undoubtedly significantly impede the now rampant spread of the virus and near one hundred per cent vaccinations will likely lead to elimination of the virus altogether. This will, in turn, accelerate our return to our normal lives and provide some stimulus for the return to health of our economy.
    Political expediency
    The public health and public interest imperatives are, therefore, obvious and demand not just an appropriate legislative response from the Government but an immediate one. The Government has, so far, out of political expediency, declined to issue a vaccine mandate, saying that it would be anathema to who we are. However, the measures taken to date in response to the Delta variant serve no more useful purpose than a Band-Aid does on a gaping and haemorrhaging laceration.
    It must be obvious to even the most strident proponents of individual freedoms that vaccinations are a necessary evil that will better serve the public interests than blind adherence to fundamental rights or freedoms. One’s ability to enjoy those freedoms counts for nothing if the health and well-being of the individual or the body politic is severely compromised or killed.
    In the face of these harsh realities, any continued opposition to statemandated vaccines must inevitably call into question the values and principles of the opponents to it. We pride ourselves on being a village – a close-knit community, in which each one looks out for the other.
    There can be no better demonstration of that village philosophy and community spirit, no greater show of respect for the rights of others, than doing that which is necessary for the protection of the public health and public interests. Even if it means sacrificing one’s rights or freedoms. Opponents to mandatory vaccinations, however, are more insular in their outlook, and give pre-eminence the interests of the individual, even to the detriment of the collective.
    Let us, Barbados, rekindle the spirit of community and commit to putting the collective before the individual; the “we” before the “me”. Call on the Government to put aside political expediency and mandate vaccines. That is, truly, who we are.

    Source: Nation

  11. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    Welcome Vincent, we have to look at this in a practical manner WITHOUT creating too much social disruption or people will resist…and the state of mind right now is not to comply unless sureties are in place….

    .mess with people’s money or ability to function which is ALREADY severely limited financially and otherwise and sit back and watch the same people CRASH what’s left of the economy and STILL SURVIVE .

    ..our ancestors survived on much less, we are EXPERT SURVIVALISTS….still in the DNA…

    Blogmaster must be feeling bored.

  12. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    3 349 COVID-19 cases in September

    With Thursday’s full numbers still to be added, there were 3 349 COVID-19 cases in September, an average of 115 per day,

    compared to 632 in August at an average of 20 a day.

  13. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    besides, those who are now writing long essays had/have no problem with Black rights being violated for 55 years and ONGOING..which is in and of itself also a social VIRUS…….they all sat back, did and said nothing….now they are suddenly prophets and vaccine pushers…….steuppps…

  14. David Avatar
    David

    Another legal opinion.

    ‘Bosses can dismiss workers who refuse to take vaccine’

    Article by David Hinkson Published on June 11, 2021

    A prominent attorney says employers are well within their rights to dismiss workers who, for medical reasons or otherwise, refuse to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
    Queen’s Counsel Hal Gollop said they can take such action to protect their businesses and comply with laws governing safety and health in the workplace.

    “Based on the Factories Act and Safety and Health at Work Act, along with other legislation, the employer has an obligation to provide a safe system at work,” Gollop said on the Down to Brass Tacks call-in radio programme today. “Now, in the case of this pandemic, where a worker may decide he does not want to get vaccinated, we will have a situation where individual rights give way to group rights. That is, if someone does not want to get vaccinated, that is his business, but if the employer feels that that person’s decision not to get vaccinated may put the rest of his staff in jeopardy, he has to take the rights of the group (the rest of the staff) into consideration, as well as his obligation to provide a safe work environment.”

    He continued: “Also, if it can be shown that an unvaccinated person caused the pandemic to affect the institution, thereby causing people to suffer, it is a private law situation. So, if other staff members were affected by the employee who refused to get vaccinated and the employer allowed them into the workplace, then the employer would have compromised his obligation to provide a safe space and would be liable to all those who got infected.”

    Gollop said dismissal would be legal even in a case where a worker stated they could not get vaccinated for medical reasons.

    “Employment is voluntary. I hire you to satisfy my standard of work, and if you are unvaccinated and you pose a risk to the entire business, then I will be unable to satisfy my obligations. An employer has to cover all his bases in order to rule out being accused of negligence,” he said.

    The senior lawyer said in a situation where an employee had been with a company for a long time and was a valued staff member, “the employer still has the right to insist on vaccination, and the two parties will work out any settlements in terms of severance and so on”.

    “Also, if the company insists that its workers take the vaccination, and one of them either becomes seriously ill or dies, then that comes down to medical negligence and the family members would have to address that with either the doctors or the hospital – for example, if any pre-existing medical conditions were not considered before administering the vaccine,” Gollop added. (DH)

    Source: Barbados Today

  15. Vincent Codrington Avatar
    Vincent Codrington

    @ David BU at 1 :18 PM
    Thanks for the upload,which I foo have been following. . As you said this is the last word. I agree. Needless to say, my interpretation of the data would be too pedantic for you.

  16. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    I keep saying there are vaccinated people real close to me, and they ALL DOUBLE MASK…and do not engage in risky behavior because at least they know their viral load is spreadable, if it exists, even if it cannot be detected through testing…..as a matter of fact both groups should be double masking right about now…and staying out of each other’s faces.

    who don’t want to vaccine, let them find other jobs….better to become less dependent on employers anyway…am all for them finding new endeavors….those in Barbados are not employers they fancy themselves masters and should crash and burn..

  17. David Avatar
    David

    Digicel is off and running.

    Digicel starting vaccination policy

    By Barry Alleyne
    barryalleyne@nationnews.com
    Another Barbadian company has introduced a strong vaccination policy for all employees.
    With the country facing a surge in COVID-19 infections and deaths, regional communications giant Digicel will this month require all staff members to show proof of vaccination, whether full or partial, to the company’s human resources department.
    Workers who are not vaccinated as of October 15 will be required to submit a negative PCR test result from the previous 72 hours every two weeks, also to human resources, so they can attend work. Those tests are to be done at the employee’s expense and antigen tests will not be considered acceptable.
    Chief executive officer of Digicel Barbados, Natalie Abrahams, yesterday said “things are different” in Barbados now, making direct reference to the increase in deaths associated with COVID-19 and the rise of new infections across the country.
    “We have done quite a bit of work with supplying staff with requested information on vaccinations. We would have worked with the Ministry of Health to have a mobile vaccination unit brought to the site so workers could get vaccinated or speak to nurses as need be,” the CEO explained.
    She added that Digicel had conducted an anonymous survey of staff, which showed a majority had been vaccinated.
    “We recognise that we have to step up, with the Delta variant here. To remain a viable operation and to protect our staff and the customers we serve, we made these decisions,” Abrahams added.
    “As a business, we are guided by the science and we are also guided by the impact (of the virus) we are seeing, with the impact we’re seeing with this Delta variant on our workforces in the region, and in Barbados, our customers and communities. We want to make the best decision in the interest of our community,” Abrahams said.
    Warned businesses
    Two weeks ago, Rubis Caribbean officially introduced a vaccination policy, which was met with concern from the trade union movement, which warned businesses not to attempt to “bully” staff into being vaccinated and instead encourage workers to make personal choices.
    The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados yesterday strongly disagreed with the move by Digicel.
    “We care about the nation. We want to satisfy ourselves that we are not spreading the virus and creating a further pandemic within our own country. We have to keep the economy running, so we understand the employers’ need to have a safe workplace and to protect their investment.
    But we can’t do it in a way that shows blatant disregard for what is the national position at this time,” general secretary Dennis De Peiza
    said.
    “We all have to be concerned with how this impacts the country and the health and safety of people. We don’t want a crisis where we have mass deaths, and the Social Partnership has always made that clear that we don’t support mandatory vaccinations because that is against the law of the land. But we also have to balance that against what should be done in the best interest of the country,” he added.
    In her memo to the Digicel staff in Barbados on Wednesday, Abrahams said they would continue to comply with local law and regulations and continue to respect individual rights to make personal medical decisions. She said the company supported a call in Barbados for more people to be vaccinated, as one of the layers of security against contraction and transmission of the viral illness.
    The company’s new policy on vaccinations had been outlined in a memo sent by Digicel’s CEO for the Central America and Caribbean region, Oliver Coughlin, and also circulated to staff on Wednesday.
    The memo stated that any employee who was unable to produce a current PCR test result and who could not attend work for that reason would be required to take the days on which they are absent as unpaid leave or have those days taken from their allotted vacation.
    If an employee has used up all vacation days, the absent days would be taken as unpaid leave, it further said.
    The new policy applies to all employees regardless of their work location.
    Workers would not be allowed to work remotely as a means of avoiding taking the vaccine or PCR test, the memo said.

    Source: Nation

  18. David Avatar
    David

    Another…

    Vaccination deadline today for two companies

    From today, only employees who present a certificate of vaccination will be allowed to work at Lionel C. Hill Supermarket on Roebuck Street, The City, and Hill Milling Co. Ltd.
    Director of the two establishments, Richard Ashby, told the Weekend Nation yesterday that this action was to maintain the health and safety of staff and those with which the companies did business.
    “We started back in July asking our workers to be vaccinated and we gave them a deadline, which was September 30, so this is a kind reminder that they should have a vaccination certificate,” he said.
    “The reason (is) we work very close together at Hill Milling and at the supermarket. It is for our own safety and the staff of our businesses to be safe and the only way we can be safe is to have some kind of protection.”
    Ashby was responding to questions about a circular that was sent to staff yesterday which stated: “Please note no employee will be allowed to enter Hill Milling Co. Ltd. or Lionel C. Hill Supermarket to work without a vaccinated certificate. You may return on payday for any monies due to you and your termination letters.”
    Ashby said the majority of his staff were vaccinated.
    “The staff at Hill Milling are 100 per cent vaccinated and the supermarket is 98 per cent.”
    The businessman added that the rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths was worrying and warned that “if we don’t turn Barbados around by November 15, we will have a very bleak Christmas”.
    On July 29, Ashby sent a memo to staff indicating they should be
    vaccinated by August 31 under the guidelines outlined in the Safety and Health At Work Act. They were also given the alternative, if they chose not to be vaccinated,
    of submitting a negative PCR test every two weeks.
    Staff were given an incentive of $300 each to be inoculated. The memo also noted that staff who had recently tested positive for COVID-19 were exempted until September 30.
    This move by the supermarket did not sit well with the Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados, with president Edwin O’Neal questioning the intentions of the employer.
    O’Neal had said workers should have the free will to take the vaccine and should not be coerced. (SB)

    Source: Nation

  19. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    @David
    Better late than never I made the call a few days ago so it is good to see you are catching up. I was astounded to read that approximately 39 % of eligible Bajans have been fully vaccinated, talk about playing Russian roulette with a loaded gun. With that kind of numbers, things will get much worse and forget about getting better.

    Some people invite dysfunction, only today there is an article in BT where PSV operators are asking for an increase in the number of passengers that their vehicles can carry which is the height of madness at this time, are these operators vaccinated? The attitude of the operators seems to be “the more the merrier.”

    Someone must grow a spine and make the call, or the consequences will be chaos.

  20. David Avatar
    David

    @Sargeant

    You do not read the Covid dashboard on BU sidebar?

  21. David Avatar
    David

    Is your head hard John? This issue is about Barbados following other countries to determine if mandatory vaccination is the way to go. It is time for another plan. Stop posting BS that is not helping the discussion. Used one of the other blogs to pedal your theories.

    Tired already.

  22. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    We are now firmly enmeshed within what Huxley referred to as the “brave new world”.

    His was a world were governmental intrusions came up against the socalled Enlightenment ideas.

    In this case a Jamaican born lawyer could be trotted out to subvert rights once held dear in the service of his political friends.

    And a “master” of blog, not unlike the slave master, could crack a whip to command all and sundry to adhere to a state-sponsored edict, to follow presumably, Another socalled right being threatened again. No freedom of expression on BU, unless.

    We are not unaware of the extreme difficulties faced by medical services because of the socalled unvaccinated. But how many times have these people been wrong during this pandemic? Suppose this authoritarian mandate fails, what other plans will be mouthed. Maybe genocide of populations. Where will this end?

    However, not only Barbados but the whole world seems heading into an abyss which is likely to make notions long held by nihilists appear quaint.

    And while this writer has long been vaccinated, reluctantly it must be added, level headed deliberation should suggest that we better not open this wider Pandora’s box because once that door is opened there shall be no closing it.

    The failure of governments and their medical establishments to, through moral suasion, convince a critical mass to be vaccinated is theirs. Such a failure rests entirely on the proponents of vaccination to prove their case and not individuals making health decisions based thought best for them.

    Permission granted to delete because this writer will NEVER obey your edits or those of any other rassssoul dictatorial regime.

  23. David Avatar
    David

    @Pacha

    The blogmaster has no issue with your comment. It is the antivaxxer and conspiracy BS the reference was made.

  24. John Avatar
    John

    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/uk-shows-interest-in-covid-antiviral-pill-after-trial-shows-it-could-halve-hospitalisations-and-deaths/ar-AAP31pt?ocid=winp1taskbar

  25. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    @David

    Apologies to you and Lyall, didn’t pay much attention to it, it really stunned me last night when I heard the news reader on the CBC Evening news.

  26. John A Avatar
    John A

    @ David

    I agree with you. Our government is showing us they are unwilling to make unpopular political decisions for the benefit of the country with elections round de corner.

    Somebody has to step up and govern. Right now this government is hoping that the business sector will do that for them as Lionel C Hill has done.

    That being the case all the PM needs to do is past the legislation that states as follows. EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 15TH ALL BUSINESSES HAVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ENTRY TO ANY PERSON WHO CAN NOT PRESENT A VACCINATION CERTIFICATE SHOWING FULL VACCINATION.

    That way Mia can blame the businesses and say to the opposition that she did not implement mandatory vaccination. The point is somebody better make a dam move fast and start to manage this issue or we can kiss this winter season good bye, as the cancelations coming in daily.

    If I was in France or Most of Europe today I could be refused entry to eating establishments, businesses and even transport if I did not have proof of full vaccination on me Its that simple.
    The problem here is that nobody wants to offend the electorate with elections 2 years off.

    Now as for the silly excuse that people will draw off their money. Draw off and put it where under wunna bed? If no bank or credit union let’s you in their doors where you going wid it? Now a more intelligent response would be ” I will bank and pay bills online until I can be vaccinated. ”

    I am extremely disappointed the way this covid mess is being handled by the government. If you frighten to make vaccinations mandatory no problem, just step aside and make it legal for those businesses who want to request proof of full vaccination to enter their entities withing there legal right so to do.

    For christ sake though do some dam thing and stop coming on my TV saying ” no retreat no surrender” every other night!

  27. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    Do not forget sports events covid passports have to be presented in many countries that have allowed spectators back to stadia.

  28. John A Avatar
    John A

    Plus every day more and more stores in areas like New York are posting at their doors signs like No vaccine no entry etc.

    We have to stop this wait and see approach and govern. If wunna do nothing you don’t expect infection rates to be all up in the 10% of tested area? No wunna would want to bring another lockdown instead. NO instead try the LOCK OUT approach, in other words if wunna don’t get vaxx well stand home! Why you think we can’t even get pass a vaxx rate of 50%? The reason is simple they ain’t no reason to force the clowns to act. Let chefette put up a sign at the drive thru “no vaxx no service” and see bajans breaking down the clinics to get Vaxx. Lol

  29. John2 Avatar
    John2

    Now if malmoney venture was successful we would have been a long way further with our vaccinations and lifting restructions .

    Unfortunately……….

    I will only support mandatory vaccination when there enuff available for all

  30. John A Avatar
    John A

    Till we get up and act I proposing a new motto for the covid approach wunna ready?

    NO ACTION NO REDUCTION!

  31. John A Avatar
    John A

    There is no shortage of vaccines actually the sad thing is that a good set expiring today and will have to be dumped. Our failure was that we did not put in place measures that would encourage mass vaccination. We thought we could get through to the hard headed clowns with reason. Not only here but in the US the story was the same, then Biden drop the hammer on nuff of them and tell them get vaxx or lose the pick!

  32. David Avatar
    David

    Expiry dilemma

    Deadline next month for thousands of doses of AstraZeneca

    by BARRY ALLEYNE
    barryalleyne@nationnews.com

    BARBADOS IS DANGEROUSLY CLOSE to losing out on precious doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
    Thousands of doses of a third tranche the country received to fight the COVID-19 virus expire next month, and the current uptake of the drug may not be enough to see each dose being administered before October 31.
    This was revealed during a press conference yesterday hosted by co-coordinator of the National Vaccination Programme, Dr Elizabeth Ferdinand, and newly appointed COVID-19 Public Advisor David Ellis at the vaccination centre located at the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation’s complex on Harbour Road, St Michael.
    Numbers increasing

    Ferdinand said Barbados’ vaccination numbers were steadily looking up, and more than 6 000 children had been inoculated since the popular Pfizer vaccine became available five weeks ago, but should the AstraZeneca not be used, meetings might have to be held with the Prime Minister to decide the future of the unused drug.
    The doctor said Barbados’ loss could end up being the region’s gain, as unused doses could be shipped out to other CARICOM member states which urgently needed doses.
    “That is concerning me and I’m looking at the trends and how it will pan out this week,” she said about the doses of AstraZeneca expiring next month. “We might have to put some suggestions to the Prime Minister as to what we’re going to do. We certainly don’t want to lose doses, and if we can’t use them or can’t encourage enough people to come forward, then we might have to look at helping out our neighbours.
    “We have plenty AstraZeneca. We have some expiring at the end of October and some expiring at the end of December. We were doing well with the first tranche and the second tranche, but the third overlapped a bit and we got the donation from Canada, so it gave us extra we had not planned for,” she explained.
    In recent months, Barbados drew down 30 000 doses from the World Health Organisation’s COVAX facility, and another 30 000 doses of AstraZeneca were provided by Canada.
    Ferdinand said they still had more than half of the 70 000-odd doses of Pfizer received on August 13.
    Over the weekend, the vaccination programme again went into a number of communities, an approach that has borne some fruit, Ferdinand said. “I think we’ve had a very good response, generally speaking, at all the sites we went to.”
    First doses on Saturday totalled 875, with 671 of them being Pfizer, 185 AstraZeneca and 19 Sinopharm. There were also 262 second doses. On Sunday, 890 vaccinations
    were administered, of which 664 were first doses and 226 second doses.
    “The rate is under 1 000 a day but we are trying to ramp it up. People are getting accustomed to us coming to their community, and this week I’m hoping we will have a better turnout and this weekend will be better than the last. With Pfizer we are just scraping the barrel. We have about 24 000 children so we still have a lot of children to do,” Ferdinand said.
    Ellis said the aim now was for a significant ramping up of public education in communities across the island, if Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley’s suggestion of 10 000 vaccinations per week for the next five weeks is to become a reality.
    Youth demographic
    He said they would be utilising deejays who could get through with specific information to Barbados’ younger demographic in particular.
    Ellis noted there was a clear and present danger of some in Barbadian society seeking to undermine vaccination efforts through negativity on social media but public health officials would continue to push the importance of getting vaccinated, especially due to the prevalence of the highly transmissible Delta variant, which has led to a surge in community transmission in the past two months.
    With another 104 new COVID-19 infections having been identified on Sunday, there have been 1 559 cases so far for the month, at an average of 82 per day. This compares with the 632 cases for all of August at a daily average of 20.

    Source: Nation

  33. David Avatar
    David

    Courts trying to help…and make some money in the process.

  34. David Avatar
    David

    https://barbadostoday.bb/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/DASHBOARD-Vaccine-SEPTEMBER-30-1-730×456.png

  35. TLSN Avatar
    TLSN

    @ David,
    You are blind. Where I come from we call it discrimination. Where the hell are we heading to.

  36. David Avatar
    David

    Vincentian Government mandates vaccination for teachers and other school staff

  37. David Avatar
    David

    @TLSN

    What is happening in your neck of the woods? Please confirm.

    Covid passports: How do I get one and when will I need it?

  38. David Avatar
    David

    https://barbadostoday.bb/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Dr-Corey-Forde-730×456.png
    Not even total lockdown will stop relentless COVID infections – expert

  39. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Does anyone know if anyone who responded to the Welcome Stamp initiative cut tail and ran because of the Gov’t handling of the COVID 19 pandemic?

  40. David Avatar
    David

    Covid-19 and free speech

    The war with the COVID-19 pandemic rages on. The picture which has evolved within recent times is not pretty.
    The fact that there are 158 clusters is not a light matter. The task facing medical front-liners, working day in and day out, has reached very stressful proportions. The relatively low numbers of those who have taken the vaccination tell their own story.
    Vaccines have been shown to be a restraint on the spread of the virus, but human beings are emotional creatures and in the midst of this crisis, there are still those who spread false information about vaccines. That activity inhibits many people from taking the medicine for their own protection and that of others.
    A question now occupying social media platforms such as YouTube and Facebook is whether those who are propagating false information about vaccines in general and about those developed for combating COVID-19 should be allowed to ply their views on these platforms.
    Those who are alarmed at the growing number of people affected by the disease and the increasing number of deaths say it cannot make sense to allow national efforts to be weakened or threatened by rumour-mongering based on conjecture or worse. Such behaviour, they say, inhibits vaccine-hesitant people from taking the jab.
    On the other hand, there are arguments that in a democracy all views must contend. They put up a stout defence in favour of the right to free speech. They say that arguments for and against should be allowed in the freedom of the public sphere where citizens may determine what is truth and what is falsehood.
    Governments may be more constrained in these matters than private citizens. While the average citizen may shout “shut up” to the propagator of false doctrines, those who are elected to office may be reluctant to go to that extreme step.
    But enough may be enough.
    Given the adverse impact of the virus, international video platform YouTube has said it will remove content that falsely alleges approved vaccines are dangerous and cause severe health effects. It is part of its efforts to curb the cross-over impact of anti-COVID-19 vaccine misinformation to other vaccines.
    Twitter and Facebook, too, are conscious of the need to counter the false propaganda and Facebook Inc. is using its resources to promote COVID-19 vaccines.
    All societies have to consider how to counter the false propaganda. It is having an impact which affects the ability of the country to effectively combat a disease which in extreme circumstances can wipe out small countries and can devastate the stability of even large ones.
    Official decisions to curb or inhibit free speech and other personal views are never easy. It has been done in wartime for obvious security reasons. There the enemy is visible, and bombs and fighter planes are real. The restrictions can be easily justified.
    COVID-19 may be invisible, except to the scientists. But this war is real, and if the absence of greater uptake of the vaccine is generated by falsehoods, then governments everywhere will need to consider if the steps taken by Facebook, YouTube and other such platforms need to be supported by law.
    We may soon have to address this, but that decision is in each of our hands.

    Today’s Nation Editorial

  41. David Avatar
    David

    Ask @Peterlawrencethompson

  42. David Avatar
    David

    @Sargeant

    The % should move quickly to 50% because 2nd doses of Pfizer due to be administered.

  43. TLSN Avatar
    TLSN

    Do you find it normal how a retailer feels sufficiently emboldened to offer a discounted price for the vaccinated and a higher price to the unvaccinated. This is outrageous. And you know it is.

  44. John A Avatar
    John A

    When you get on a plane and you are told put on your seat belt that infringes on your rights? The point is that the time comes when if you delay on acting they can be a heavy price to pay even your own life!

    Look let’s be honest we are not doing a good job. The government have tried and done their best to encourage people to be vaccinated. They even have put in place pop up vaxx locations. Point is we ain’t getting where we need so what’s the next step? It’s for government to make the necessary decisions and govern. Europe and the UK have done that. The USA are now starting to do it. Today we hit 220 plus in a day, what we going do wait to 300 a day to act? Get vaxx or stand home. We going reverse quarantine wunna tail now. Got to be better than locking down a whole country and penalizing those that have done the right thing. Look any horse could win pun the perfect track, but few can win on a wet muddy one. Same applies for governments. In good times anyone can govern but it tough ones only true leaders can.

    When I was young I had to present a vaxx card to go into school. It was a yellow or green card I can’t remember. Point is if my parents wanted me to go school dem had to get me vaxx to send me there. Personally I would of been glad to stand home! I could of hear my mother now ” you got what rights, boy carry you tail do.” Lol

  45. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    David

    Well, the same way you would have burnt women under the pretext that they were witches and then pretend you care about womens’ rights is the same way this writer is now to be condemn as an antivaxxer and is now all of a sudden talking bullshiiite. Even when this writer admitted early on, months ago, that the vaccine was taken and indeed am schelduled for a booster within a few weeks. Soon from now you’ll be seeking again some human rights rock to hide under. This writer, not even under the threat of death by Mia Mottley, will never surrender to these kinds of pressures and will steadfastly resist your clear dictatorial impluses. This coming from a place where personal health is paramount.

  46. David Avatar
    David

    Mr Bynoe’s call, therefore, for Government to introduce mandatory vaccinations and to bring the necessary legislative changes to facilitate such a move is not surprising.Just recently, executive director of the Barbados Employers’ Confederation (BEC) Mrs Sheena Mayers-Granville expressed the view that employers in the island wanted national guidance on the matter of vaccinations for workers.To date, Government has been offered a legal opinion, but the administration has chosen to use moral suasion, education, and lobbying by social and popular influencers to get those who are hesitant to come over to the other side.Barbados Today Editorial

  47. David Avatar
    David

    @Pacha

    Please to reread the blogmasters comment. Hopefully you did well in comprehension at school.

  48. David Avatar
    David

    Attached are the weekly updates for the week ending 24th September. This last week was the worst of the Pandemic re. the picture painted by all the Charts except the Vaccination chart, and even that chart, despite the measures taken to drum up a greater rate of acceptance of the vaccines, was relatively lacklustre. As Dr. Forde has indicated, we now seem to be firmly approaching the eye wall of the Covid19 storm. Drastically increasing the rate of uptake of the vaccinations seem to be our best bet at this stage for getting some measure of control aligned with rigorous enforcement of the protocols by the relevant authorities. Inasmuch as this phase seems to be driven primarily by community spread within families and that a significant number of deaths appear to be outside the Isolation facility, it appears that David Ellis must get the PR operating on steroids to persuade family members to do what is necessary to reduce the spread. Perhaps a well focused and policed lockdown might also help. Source: Lyall Small
    See: Covid 19 Update @caribbeansignal.com – BU Covid Updates page
  49. Pachamama Avatar
    Pachamama

    David

    No!

    Will not re-read. So now this writer has a problem with comprehension, as with others. Added to an antivaxxer and a talker of BS.

    The fault is with you. For you have made a firm political determination to kick ass into the acceptance of what the Dear Leader wants.

    Not for the first time.

  50. David Avatar
    David

    Pouting allowed Pacha.

    Justice Sotomayor rejects request to block New York City school vaccine mandate

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/01/politics/new-york-vaccine-school-sotomayor/index.html

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