Numbers of people getting their COVID shots are falling off

People are not going out to get their COVID-19 shots and the Ministry of Health and Wellness is urging those who have not received a jab or haven’t been boosted to do so. More than half of the population have gotten their shots, but there are many more who are still out there without them. Director of Public Health and Wellness, Dr. Melissa Diaz says that could be a detriment to the fight against the coronavirus, particularly for the elderly and other vulnerable populations. She explained why the jab continues to be a critical part of the defence against COVID-19.

Dr. Melissa Dias, Director, Public Health and Wellness, Ministry of Health and Wellness: “It has decreased a lot you know compared to earlier this year and compared to last year and I mean there are many reasons for that. We do have 51%+  vaccinated of the total population and we do have over 80% of persons 65 and over fully vaccinated but we have in excess of 150,000 vaccines. We have Pfizer, we have Johnson and we have AstraZeneca. We also have the flu vaccine and they’re available at every clinic in Belize countrywide all health centers as well. It’s a walk-in process you can go in and get your vaccines. We are definitely recommending the booster dose as well especially now during the Christmas season when we’ll be meeting you know with family, with friends, people try to visit their elderly parents or grandparents that they haven’t seen for a while so it’s a special time for the year so it’s very important that you do get your booster and you continue to protect the elderly and the vulnerable population.”