There are no COVID-19 vaccines in Anguilla and a shipment is not expected until next year, according to Premier Ellis Webster.
Speaking during a government press conference on Monday, 29 July, he said the Ministry of Health advised him to announced the lack of vaccines on island.
The chief medical officer suggested there may be some “early in the new year”, Webster said, adding that this is something that is plaguing the whole Caribbean.
“However, if we did get it, it would be used for those who are more vulnerable, such as the elderly, those who are immunocompromised,” he said.
The premier said that antiviral medication is either low or run out because the number of cases of COVID-19 had gone up recently.
“It’s now coming down, but we have to continue to be vigilant,” he said, stressing that the risk of catching the disease has “not gone away completely”.
“So we have to continue to practice good hygiene, washing hands frequently,” he said.
“If we have signs of upper respiratory tract infection, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, we should avoid being around other persons, and this is the way that we can keep each other safe from this virus.”
The Ministry of Health is urging the public to maintain good hygiene practices following an increase in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 in Anguilla.
In a press release on 5 July, the Ministry of Health said there had been an increase in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 in Anguilla in the previous weeks.
