Dutch caretaker Minister of Public Health, Welfare and Sport Hugo de Jonge.
~ Saba remains vaccination rate champion ~
THE HAGUE--Dutch caretaker Minister of Public Health, Welfare and Sport Hugo de Jonge is worried about the low vaccination rate on some Dutch Caribbean islands, especially considering the increase of COVID-19 infections due to the highly contagious Delta variant.
In a letter he sent to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament last Friday, De Jonge stated that close to 40,000 vaccinations have been administered since the vaccination programmes started in the Caribbean part of the Dutch Kingdom in February.
Currently, all residents age 12 and up are being vaccinated in the Dutch Caribbean. The vaccination rate differs a lot per island.
The highest vaccination rate can be found in Saba, where 75 per cent of the total population and more than 90 per cent of the adult population has been vaccinated. Of Saba youngsters ages 12-17, 87 per cent has received a first dose of the Moderna vaccine.
The lowest vaccination rate can be found in St. Maarten, where 35 per cent of the total population has been fully vaccinated, and 44 per cent of persons ages 12 and up have received the first dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine.
In Curaçao and Aruba, respectively 65 and 67 per cent of inhabitants ages 12 and up have received a first dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine. In Curaçao, 51 per cent of the total population is now fully vaccinated and in Aruba 53 per cent.
In Bonaire, 58 per cent of the total population is now fully vaccinated, and in St. Eustatius 41 per cent. In Bonaire, 78 per cent of the residents ages 12 and up have received their first dose of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine, and in St. Eustatius 51 per cent of persons 12 and older have received the Moderna vaccine.
The Netherlands Institute for Public Health, Welfare and Sport RIVM calculated that 75-85 per cent of the total population on the islands needs to be fully vaccinated to reach so-called herd immunity, which is important considering the Delta variant. So far, only Saba has reached this percentage.
“Consultations between the vaccination teams on the islands, the RIVM and the Ministry of Public Health, Welfare and Sport VWS have shown that the teams want to have more information about what keeps the vaccination doubters and refusers from being vaccinated,” stated De Jonge.
As such, the VWS Ministry, in collaboration with the health authorities in Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, Bonaire and St. Eustatius, put together a research team that started in Curaçao on August 9. Late August, the research team will present its advice on policy and communication to Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, Bonaire and St. Eustatius to increase vaccination willingness. Because of the high vaccination rate, Saba is not included in the team’s work area.
In his letter, De Jonge mentioned the steadily increasing number of COVID-19 infections and hospital admissions in Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten. “It mainly concerns non-(fully)-vaccinated people who are being admitted to hospital.” Due to the sharp increase in COVID-19 cases, Aruba implemented new measures per July 7. St. Maarten did so per August 8 and Curaçao per August 12.
