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The V.I. Department of Health announced that as a territory, the U.S. Virgin Islands crossed the 25,000 mark for persons who have received the first dose of Covid-19 vaccination. Just under 10,000 people have been fully vaccinated to date.
According to D.O.H., this achievement shows that the territory is on target to meet Governor Albert Bryan’s goal of having half the population, or 50,000 people vaccinated by July 1, 2021. As more individuals become vaccinated the Virgin Islands community gets closer to reaching herd immunity.
“Crossing the 25,000th person mark makes me feel proud of the hard work put into this response by the health department and our local and federal partners. I am very pleased with the community’s willingness to participate since it takes everyone to do their part to help end the pandemic. It is important that we not only reach the governor’s goal, but that we exceed it,” said Ms. Encarnacion.
On March 1, Community Vaccination Centers opened on St. Croix and St. Thomas and on March 20 on St. John. In just a little over three weeks, the opening of these centers has proven to be a major success, D.O.H. said. Along with other healthcare providers, these options make vaccination accessible to everyone aged 16 and over. There is no residency requirement and the vaccination centers are accessible to everyone. There are accommodations for seniors, individuals with disabilities, and those needing language translation. Homebound individuals can also get the vaccine as the health department can accommodate their special circumstances, according to the department.
“Every action we take to fight COVID-19 is for public health. I encourage you to get vaccinated. I chose to get vaccinated so that we could be closer to returning to normalcy with an increased level of comfort, and the return of cultural events,” Ms. Encarnacion added.
To book an appointment for the vaccine, please visit covid19usvi.com or call (340) 777-8227.
