And while hopefully your bus will be there and on time on Monday - what most folks want to know right know is the timeline for the COVID 19 vaccine.
When will it arrive, and who will get it?
Here's what the experts told us today:
Dr. Natalia Beer, Technical Advisor, Maternal and Child Health
"We are procuring 238,800 doses of vaccines and that will cover the initial 30% of the population that we intend to vaccinate. The vaccines we are engaging t6hrough the Covax facility which is a specialize agency along with the World Health Organization and other specialized agencies in vaccines and they are looking
at the different vaccines that are under production. There is more than 154 vaccines that are being produced. They have shortlisted 9 vaccines. But we still have to wait on the result of these 9 vaccines that they have enlisted currently and once the decision is made then Belize will have access to the vaccines. In regards to the timeline, we are looking at April 2021 and with the Covax facility, we are ensuring access to quality vaccines. It's to cover 119,000 Belizeans and we have different target population. The priority will be those at higher risk; frontline workers, especially the ministry of health staff that is dealing directly with the positive cases followed by elderly's and persons with chronic diseases."
Belize is a part of the international COVAX initiative which is working with vaccine manufacturers to provide countries worldwide with equitable access to the COVID 19 vaccine.
