Dr. George Odongo
ST. EUSTATIUS--Dr. George Odongo has called for everybody in St. Eustatius and everywhere else to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible. “The news coming out of Scotland and Israel, where vaccination has cut death rates by up to 98.9 per cent and overwhelmingly reduced hospital admissions for patients with the disease, is a wake-up call,” he said.
“People are scared for nothing. I under
stand the fears, but vaccination is very safe. The human body is a wonderful creation with trillions of cells that have a memory. All they need is the vaccine to switch on their defence mechanisms and say ‘goodbye’ to killer diseases. COVID-19 has claimed over 2.5 million lives worldwide. This is a no-brainer and is all about personal protection.”
Vaccinations started in Statia on Monday. According to Public Health Unit manager Gerwin Schobbe, about 500 persons have registered for the Moderna vaccine out of an eligible population of 2,500. So far, 284 persons have been vaccinated in two days.
“Half of those registered have already received the first shot on Monday and Tuesday,” Schobbe said. “I encourage all Statians to register and keep the island safe.”
Odongo has worked as a general practitioner for more than 40 years and has witnessed the benefits of vaccinations. “In the early 70s, I was part of the programme in Nigeria to vaccinate mothers and children against polio, diphtheria, tuberculosis and whooping cough. We saved thousands and thousands of lives.”
There were some issues with the registration by email, as in some cases the confirmation email with the date and time of the appointment ended up in the recipient’s spam mailbox. Crisis manager Peter Glerum encouraged persons to check their spam box, call the Health Department at tel. 318-2891 or send an email to
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Walk-ins are now also possible for vaccinations. Persons who have not registered can now go to Earl N. Merkman Sports Complex to be vaccinated on the spot. Persons will only be required to bring their identification and fill in a form.
