Only 20% of Security Forces Armed Against COVID-19

Michel Chebat

COVID-19 vaccine uptake is the lowest among security forces. According to Minister Chebat, to date over twenty-nine thousand Belizeans have been fully vaccinated and the ministry expects that number to double over the next two months.  Vaccine uptake among frontline workers is above seventy percent on average, except for the police force, B.D.F. officers and the Coast Guard. Only twenty percent of Belize’s security forces are vaccinated against COVID-19.

Michel Chebat, Minister of Health and Wellness

“As of yesterday we have eighty-three thousand five hundred and seven persons with a first dose. And, we have twenty-nine thousand two hundred and fifteen persons fully vaccinated across the country. Those numbers for us are incredible numbers. The ones we are looking at is the fully vaccinated persons. With the current doses we have in country, we feel that by the end of July going into August, the numbers we have should be doubled so that we are going to have anywhere between fifty to sixty thousand Belizeans fully vaccinated. And that puts us ahead of the game. It puts us where we want to be. In terms of frontline workers, ninety percent of our frontline workers who are in the hospital are vaccinated. We have eighty one percent eighty one percent of our custom officials vaccinated. We have seventy-eight-point seven percent of our people who identify as being involved in the tourism industry vaccinated. We have seventy percent of the people from the national assembly vaccinated. We have sixty-one-point six percent of our teachers vaccinated. And I want to come back to the teachers. And persons sixty years and above, we have sixty percent vaccinated. We are lagging in terms of the police force, the BDF, the Coast Guard. Those numbers are lagging. The police are at twenty-seven-point eight percent. The B.D.F. is at twenty-one-point eight percent. We have the coast guard at sixteen-point eight percent. And so, we need our security forces to come out and get vaccinated.”

Minister Chebat says another batch of COVAX vaccines is expected to arrive in July and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine should be in Belize in August.