YOUR VOICE – LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Trevelation that the World Health Organization has advised countries to continue with the AstraZeneca vaccine will no doubt serve to dispel rumours, and concern among sceptics, to some extent.
The vaccine, according to the WHO, has saved millions of lives and prevented serious illness.
This comes in the wake of concern raised by cases of blood clots with low platelets now being investigated.
The WHO stated it would continue to inform the public, transparently and in a timely way, about any change in the assessment of risk of any vaccine or a change in recommendation for their use.
However, the WHO said it was also important to note that health workers would continue to monitor experiences, safety issues and impact of the vaccination program in Fiji.
The WHO stressed that vaccination was an important additional public health tool to fight COVID-19.
In the face of that announcement, we have been informed by the Minister for Health Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete that Fiji will continue to take the AstraZeneca vaccine.
His comment came in the wake of reports that Australian authorities have advised people under the age of 50 to take Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine rather than AstraZeneca’s shot because of the possibility of links to rare cases of blood clots.
“We are guided by WHO guidance and if you look at the website it shows there, there have been 200 million people that have had vaccination,” he said.
“We’ve had our task force meeting and we’ve decided to continue to stand with the age of 18 years and above because, like we said, the risk is one in a million, one in a hundred thousand and we haven’t seen that until today,” Dr Rachel Devi, the head of Fiji’s COVID-19 vaccine task force said.
United Nations resident coordinator in Fiji Sanaka Samarasinha said it was important to be transparent about the risks that any vaccine would carry.
He had a jab of the COVID-19 vaccine at the Vodafone Arena in Suva yesterday.
Mr Samarasinha said he was confident that Government would have and the Health Ministry has in place, the preparations for anyone who might have an adverse reaction.
There are various scenarios that are staring at us in the face now.
The COVID-19 pandemic does not seem to be going away any time soon. You can actually keep updated with numbers of infections and vaccinations around the world.
On the home front, our economy is suffering. It will continue that way as long as our border stays shut.
Thousands of people have lost their jobs. Thousands more have had their pay cut, and more are working reduced hours on top of pay cuts. Disposable income has taken a beating in some districts.
Thousands of families are suffering, many of them silently.
Many families are struggling to put food on the table, and they are concerned about what the future holds for them. This isn’t a pleasant scenario for some, and there is a sense of urgency that is creeping in.
Whilst people will continue to look up to the powers that be to shine that light of hope, we are reminded that tough decisions will have to be made now.