23 February 2021
St Helena is set to receive a further 3,800 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arriving on the Titan Airways flight on or around 26 February 2021.
Vaccination is a critical part of the Island’s response to COVID-19, together with the testing regime and mandatory quarantine. All eligible members of the community (i.e. those aged 18+) are encouraged to participate in the Vaccination Programme.
When will I receive my vaccination and how will I be informed?
The roll out of the Vaccination Programme will commence on Monday, 1 March 2021, and will follow the priority order shown below:
| Group 1 | Frontline workers This category includes Healthcare Workers, Frontline staff, and Quarantine staff. The frontline workers who received their first dose in January have been contacted to request that they attend the General Hospital on Monday, 1 March to receive their second dose. The remaining frontline staff have been invited to attend a COVID-19 information session this week. Staff can then schedule their appointments for Tuesday, 2 March. |
| Group 2 | Long term care facilities residents and staff, Prison residents and staff. The Health Directorate is in the process of contacting staff and residents at long-term care facilities. Family members will be invited to join these important discussions. Similarly, the Health Directorate is in the process of contacting inmates and staff at the Prison. Arrangements are being made for information sessions. Residents and staff can then schedule their vaccinations to be carried out at the designated facilities commencing on Wednesday, 3 March. |
| Group 3 | Extremely clinically vulnerable Persons within Group 3 are those who are at high risk because of being immunosuppressed or immunocompromised, either due to health conditions or as a result of treatments such as chemotherapy. The Health Directorate is in the process of contacting persons in Group 3 directly via telephone and letter, in order to arrange a group information session. Vaccinations will commence from 3 March onwards |
| Group 4 | People aged 55 and older Information will be released next week via the local papers and radio stations. Persons within Group 4 are also invited to attend the COVID-19 drop-in information sessions to be held at the Jamestown Community Centre on: Thursday 04 March from 11am to 12:30pmFriday 05 March from 1pm to 2:30pmSaturday 06 March from 10.30am to 12:00pm Group 4 vaccinations will commence the week beginning 8 March. |
| Group 5 | People aged 18-54 Vaccinations are expected to commence in late March/early April. |
Groups 4 and 5 will be much larger groups therefore a different procedure is planned in order for the vaccinations to proceed smoothly. If you are within these groups, the relevant information will be published in the coming weeks.
The Vaccination Programme will allow the Health Directorate to administer the first dose of the vaccine to the entire eligible population by mid-April 2021.
The second dose will then be administered four weeks after the first has been received.
You are encouraged to get vaccinated to protect yourself and the community.
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SHG
23 February 2021