Exception Made, Ambassador Jose Alpuche Also Gets Vaccinated

But are people jumping the queue? The first phase of the vaccination rollout plan was for frontline healthcare workers from COVID-19 units. It also included persons sixty years old and over as well as persons who are HIV positive and dialysis and cancer patients. So when we saw recently appointed Belizean Ambassador to Guatemala Jose Alpuche get his vaccine, we asked if some special reservation was made just for him. Here’s how Minister Chebat explains it.

Michel Chebat

Michel Chebat, Minister of Health & Wellness

“He’s leaving the country shortly to take up his position in Guatemala as our ambassador and he did ask the Ministry of Health and Wellness for permission to be vaccinated before he left the country.”

Reporter

“Is that how it works? Can permission be granted as requested?”

Michel Chebat

“Well you know, we don’t want to break protocol; we want the phases to be followed as strictly as possible, but neither can we be so rigid that we can’t allow a couple exceptions to the rule.”

Over fifty percent of the frontline healthcare workers have been vaccinated so far; that’s a total of two thousand four hundred and forty-four. The thrust of the vaccination drive remains to vaccinate as many of the frontline healthcare workers as possible.