The U.S. Virgin Islands' vaccination rate is expected to see a marked increase when official numbers are released this weekend following the territory's stunning population decline of 18.1 percent, data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The USVI's head count diminished from 106,405 in 2010 to 87,146 in 2020, and Governor Albert Bryan said during his weekly press briefing Monday that the territory's vaccination rate could jump to 65 percent from the current 47 percent as of Friday, though Mr. Bryan's figure was just an estimate.
Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion said the data will be provided to the public when it becomes available, and estimated availability by this weekend.
"We've actually worked on that and we have someone who works on our data from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services and Tiberius is the data system that we're using. So rather than reporting numbers, we're waiting until that data system is actually updated because that is linked to what is recorded nationally," Ms. Encarnacion said.
Tiberius, developed specifically for Operation Warp Speed — the collaborative effort led by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Defense Department — incorporates information from a multitude of sources including the U.S. Census, Vaccine Tracking System and commercial logistics companies.
The health commissioner said the vaccination rates among the 12-18 and the 18 and above age ranges are expected to see marked increases in the updated data. "That will actually increase a lot more than the 65 and older," she said.
The numbers are expected to impact current Covid-19 restrictions, with more easing projected if the rate gets close to the 70 percent threshold that health officials have said is needed to achieve herd immunity.
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