Only 28% of people aged between 16 and 30 have received the COVID-19 vaccine in Cayman, officials announced today.
So far, 63% of Cayman’s adult population have received at least one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Government officials have said that the borders could reopen and mandatory quarantine protocols could be abolished once 75-80% of people over the age of 16 have been inoculated.
However, Governor Martyn Roper on Wednesday expressed concern that the rate at which residents were taking up the opportunity to be vaccinated was slowing down, leading to Cayman requesting fewer vaccines than usual in the latest shipment from the UK.
The Public Health Department today issued a breakdown of the age demographics of people who have been given their first shot of the two-dose vaccination course. These are:
- 28% of those aged 16 to 30
- 41% of those aged 30 to 40
- 49% of those aged 40 to 50
- 71% of those aged 50 to 60
In a bid to encourage young people to get their jabs, Public Health is hosting a vaccination drive and street party for people aged 16-24 tomorrow (Friday, 9 April) at Camana Bay. There, Health Services Authority staff will provide vaccinations at the Doctors Hospital clinic between 3pm and 7pm, and a ‘Vac-CI-NATION’ party is set to take place on Forum Lane.
“The Vac-CI-NATION event is to encourage the youngest age group of people who have not had their COVID-19 vaccine to come receive their [shots],” the department stated in a recent press release.
“This free vac-CI-NATION street party is exclusively for persons aged 16-24 years old. Persons can get their vaccine at the event,” the department added.
A department spokesperson said, “If someone is getting the shot for the first time, they will be directed into the Doctors Hospital Clinic to receive their vaccine. After the shot, they can then get into the ‘street’ party on Forum Lane, presenting their new vaccination card. If someone already has the vaccine and shows their card, they go directly into the party.”
During the event, the Rotaract Club of Grand Cayman will run a raffle for a chance to win one of 10 $100 Camana Bay gift cards.
The last scheduled batch of COVID-19 vaccines arrived on island from the UK on Wednesday. Cayman now has enough vaccinations to inoculate 90% of its adult population.
The governor, in a statement on Wednesday, noted that the vaccine doses on island have a limited shelf life of between one and three months. He added, “We have asked the UK to send a significantly reduced amount of a further 11,700 doses in the last scheduled delivery that [arrived Wednesday] from the UK.”
In previous deliveries, the British Airways flights have been bringing in up to 20,000 doses.
Latest results
Meanwhile, Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee reported today that of the 315 COVID-19 tests carried out since yesterday, two were positive. Both are travellers.
This brings the total number of positive cases reported in Cayman since March last year to 515. Of those, 487 have recovered.
There are currently 26 active cases in Cayman – all involving arriving travellers. Two of those cases are symptomatic. None of those cases have required hospitalisation.
A total of 84,429 PCR tests have been carried out in Cayman since testing began last year.
Worldwide, more than 133.3 million cases of coronavirus have been reported since the pandemic started.
Vaccinations now open to all
Effective from Monday, 12 April, the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Owen Roberts International Airport will be offering the first and second dose of the vaccine to anyone aged 16 and over, regardless of surname.
Public Health also announced earlier this week that from now on, people receiving their vaccinations do not need to provide identification to demonstrate that they are ordinarily and legally resident on island, although photo ID will still be required. This means that people visiting Cayman can get vaccinated here.
Operational hours at the airport vaccine clinic have also been extended to better accommodate the public’s varying work schedules. The schedule for 12-23 April can be found here or by visiting hsa.ky/public-health/coronavirus/.
The government has stated that the vaccine clinic at Owen Roberts is expected to close at the end of April.
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