Lieutenant Governor Tregenza Roach hosted the Bryan administration's weeky press briefing on Tues. Feb. 1, 2022. Photo Credit: V.I. CONSORTIUM
Children in the USVI between the ages of 5-17 who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will receive a $250 Visa gift card from the Bryan administration. The program began on January 31 and runs through Fri., March 11.
Announced by Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach during the administration's weekly Covid-19 press briefing Tuesday, the lieutenant governor said vaccination among children in the territory has been low. "Since we made the vaccine available in May for 12 to 15-year-olds, and in November for 5 to 11-year-olds, only 23 percent of our youth population has been vaccinated," he said. "It is a healthy start, but nowhere near where we need to be."
Mr. Roach said the V.I. Dept. of Health has been working on collecting names and addresses within its system and will start distributing the gift cards by February 16.
“Parents, this means that February 16 is the deadline for your child to receive the first dose, with enough time remaining to receive the second dose, be fully vaccinated, and eligible to receive a $250 Visa gift card,” Mr. Roach said.
Additionally, the gift cards are not limited to one per household, but rather one per vaccinated child, meaning if there are multiple children in a home who get fully vaccinated by the March 11 deadline or have been vaccinated against Covid-19, they will each receive their $250, according to the lieutenant governor, who conducted the press briefing as Governor Albert Bryan is in Washington on territory-related business.
The lieutenant governor further stated that "any child residing in the U.S. Virgin Islands between the ages of 5 and 17 who receives the second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines by March 11 will receive a $250 gift card at the time the second dose is administered."
Children who receive only the first dose during by the March 11 deadline are not eligible.
Mr. Roach said that with students returning to in-person learning across the territory, "it's even more critical that our numbers increase for this population."
He added, "The Covid-19 vaccine is the most effective tool to protect against the deadly coronavirus and the variants that will arise."
Correction: Feb. 2, 2022 at 7:35 a.m.
A previous version of story, quoting information provided by Gov't House, stated that the gift cards were for 5-15-year-olds, though later in a press release the administration said that everyone 5-17 would be qualified. We sought further clarification, and Gov't House said it was indeed 5-17-year-olds who would qualify for the Visa gift cards if they are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by March 11. We've updated the story to reflect the correct information.
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