Welcome to Bahamas Local, Your Bahamas Online Search Engine

A long road to a new normal

Wed, May 19th 2021, 08:29 AM
Covid-19 Politics Nassau Guardian Stories

As they begin to prepare The Bahamas for a post-pandemic existence, notwithstanding the fact that the Free National Movement (FNM) may be long gone from office by the time some level of normalcy returns, members of the Minnis administration ought to be careful not to sell dreams to the Bahamian people as they often appear appear to be putting politics above science and reality.

They also have an over inflated sense of their successes to date in what has shaped up to be a protracted pandemic fight.
When he appeared on the Our TV program with our colleague Jerome Sawyer last week, the deputy prime minister, Desmond Bannister, continued the FNM’s electioneering narrative that Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis and his Cabinet have done a stellar job in leading us through these tumultuous times.
“As a result of him following the medical advice, The Bahamas is in a better position, a position where many countries envy us,” Bannister claimed. “We’ve now started opening up in a manner that is going to give Bahamians the opportunity to be able to resume their normal lives. We have a vaccination program now that’s the envy of many countries and so my Cabinet colleagues worked diligently. We worked very hard to be able to ensure that we took the medical advice …”
But even as Bannister was praising Minnis and his colleagues for a vaccination program that’s the “envy of many countries”, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) was updating data to show that The Bahamas is far from a standout country in the Americas as it regards our vaccination program.
In fact, we rank near the bottom in terms of our pace of vaccination.
According to PAHO, as of Friday, The Bahamas with a population of 396,914 had administered 39,230 first doses and 627 second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine – 10 doses per 100 people.
Bermuda with a population of 72,009 had administered 35,807 first doses and 27,986 second doses – 88.6 doses per 100 people.
Turks and Caicos Islands with a population of 57,022 had administered 19,515 first doses and 12,083 second doses – 55.41 doses per 100 people.

They also have an over inflated sense of their successes to date in what has shaped up to be a protracted pandemic fight.

When he appeared on the Our TV program with our colleague Jerome Sawyer last week, the deputy prime minister, Desmond Bannister, continued the FNM’s electioneering narrative that Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis and his Cabinet have done a stellar job in leading us through these tumultuous times.

“As a result of him following the medical advice, The Bahamas is in a better position, a position where many countries envy us,” Bannister claimed. “We’ve now started opening up in a manner that is going to give Bahamians the opportunity to be able to resume their normal lives. We have a vaccination program now that’s the envy of many countries and so my Cabinet colleagues worked diligently. We worked very hard to be able to ensure that we took the medical advice …”

But even as Bannister was praising Minnis and his colleagues for a vaccination program that’s the “envy of many countries”, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) was updating data to show that The Bahamas is far from a standout country in the Americas as it regards our vaccination program.

In fact, we rank near the bottom in terms of our pace of vaccination.

According to PAHO, as of Friday, The Bahamas with a population of 396,914 had administered 39,230 first doses and 627 second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine – 10 doses per 100 people.

Bermuda with a population of 72,009 had administered 35,807 first doses and 27,986 second doses – 88.6 doses per 100 people.

Turks and Caicos Islands with a population of 57,022 had administered 19,515 first doses and 12,083 second doses – 55.41 doses per 100 people.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

 Sponsored Ads