Saint Lucia reached the 20% target of fully vaccinated persons as of Monday 11 October 2021, accounting for 36, 253 persons having received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Whilst this seems far away from the desired 70% population immunity, it signifies progress – a step closer to achieving our goal.

Over the past weeks, we note a tendency towards a decrease in the reported

cases, however, we should not become complacent. We note that there are

still variants of concern circulating in- country, and as a result the possibility

of another spike exists if we become too relaxed. Therefore, we urge each and

every one of you to continue adhering to the public health measures, and get

vaccinated.

The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs continues to note a higher

percentage of hospitalizations and deaths in the unvaccinated. In light of this, we encourage you to get vaccinated for the added protection from the COVID-19 virus. The benefits of the vaccine greatly outweigh the potential side effects associated with the vaccine. The possibility of serious complications for

anyone who gets the virus, should be a reason for getting the vaccine. Indeed,

it is difficult to predict how COVID-19 will affect any individual and so the

Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs stands behind its official

recommendation that every citizen gets vaccinated for COVID-19.