Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee has made a personal appeal to elderly people in Cayman to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
In a message issued this morning, Lee spoke of his elderly parents in the UK, both of whom received the vaccine today.
“My father is 94,” he said. “I worry about him a lot from far away. I haven’t been able to see him for over a year. My stepmother is 90 and she’s been my stepmother for many years. She has a lot of medical problems and is unsteady on her feet because she’s survived a brain tumour.
“My father looks after them both and fiercely refuses to have any help at home. He still goes down to the shops to do the shopping. They’re lucky – he’s a good cook and has taught me quite a bit. They are both being visited at home today for their vaccines, so I’m very pleased. I dreaded the call to say they’d got COVID-19, or worse still, I don’t know what. It’s a horrid disease.
“Please protect yourselves; take the vaccine.”
As of 1 Feb., 57% of Cayman’s over-70 population had been vaccinated, and 46% of those aged over 60. Asked if the health authorities planned to keep a supply of vaccines aside for the older population, Lee told the Compass, “More information on the numbers vaccinated will be available once all the data has been entered; this will give us a fuller picture.”
As of Wednesday, 7,811 people had been vaccinated in Cayman, including 3,197 who received their second shots.
Lynda Mitchell, manager of The Pines Retirement Home, gave the Compass an update on the vaccination situation at the elderly care home in George Town.
“[Of] the residents who are competent enough to say ‘I want to take it or don’t want to take it,’ we had some that did not want to take it,” she said. “The other residents, with legal guardians, such as children or other family members that made the decision – the vast majority of them did take it.”
She said the home’s staff did not ask the individual residents who declined to take the vaccine why they didn’t want to receive it.
None of the elderly residents who took the vaccine reported any adverse side effects, Mitchell said.
“None had any reactions. One of the staff felt a little feverish and was given Tylenol to take. Other than that, there were no signs of any side effects,” she added.
The home’s residents who received the vaccines last month are due to receive their second dose next week, she said.
The Public Health Department said it had not been made aware of any issues with older people refusing or not being able to access the vaccines, but added, “Some children are not yet ready for their parents to have the vaccines and some are waiting to be advised by their physician.”
Last month, health workers visited people who were housebound to ensure that those who were unable to travel to health clinics or to the vaccine centre at Owen Roberts International Airport could receive the vaccine in their own homes.
Public Health, in response to queries from the Compass, said those individuals were reached “through various means, mainly through the HSA home care services and calls made to the established Flu Hotline”.
Currently, the vaccinations are being offered to all people in Stage 1, which includes residents and staff of institutional facilities, individuals aged over 60, healthcare workers and first responders, all frontline staff dealing with incoming travellers, workers essential to government continuity, and anyone over 16 with a relevant medical condition.
The next round of vaccinations would be for those in Stage 2, Group B, in the vaccination schedule, which includes those living at home with people from stage one of the programme, essential workers, teachers and school staff.
Addressing when the next round is likely to begin, Lee said, “There are significant numbers of people having second vaccinations now and this will have the effect of halving the overall numbers of people getting the vaccine. Stage 2B will be considered once a good number of those requiring a second vaccination have received this.”
See updated vaccination schedule here.
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