Weekend vaccination drive at AUA is postponed due to unforeseen circumstances, Ministry of Health advises public

Days after it announced plans to resume weekend vaccination drives, reportedly in response to public request, the Ministry of Health is postponing the event.

In a public notice, the Ministry says that, due to unforeseen circumstances, the collaborative effort with the American University of Antigua (AUA) is being rescheduled.

The Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Jenoure Smith-Kellman, details the reasons for the postponement.

On that date, vaccinations will take place at the AUA campus from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The vaccines currently available are Johnson & Johnson, Oxford AstraZeneca, Bio-N-Tech Pfizer, and the Chinese-made Sinopharm.

Smith-Kellman says that shots to children between the ages of 12 and 18 will also be administered, adding that a parent’s permission must be first sought.

Health officials are hoping to meet a target of 70 percent of the population being fully vaccinated by June in order to qualify for special incentives from the World Health Organization (WHO).

There are now 61,550 fully vaccinated residents, while the partially vaccinated stand at 2,286.