Africa-Press – Mauritius. The symbolic ceremony of the handing over of 211,200 doses of Pfizer paediatric vaccines to Mauritius by the British Government was held, today, at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, in Port Louis.
The Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo; the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal; the British High Commissioner to Mauritius, Ms Charlotte Pierre; and other personalities were present at the event.
In a statement, Minister Ganoo expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the United Kingdom (UK) for, not only the present donation of Pfizer paediatric vaccines, but also for their previous provision of personal protective equipment and their participation in the COVAX facility which had benefitted Mauritius.
The Minister stressed that the donation was taking the Mauritius vaccination programme to the next level as children aged between five and 11 would have the choice to avail of the paediatric vaccine, thereby contributing to the reduction of COVID-19 transmission in Mauritius. He noted that as at 09 May 2022, 77% of the population was fully vaccinated and that the booster dose programme was progressing in parallel.
Highlighting the importance of international collaboration in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Ganoo affirmed that the procurement of vaccines and the success of the intensive vaccination campaign in Mauritius was made possible due to the unwavering support of friendly countries.
Moreover, the Minister made an appeal to the British High Commissioner for Mauritius to benefit from the expertise and assistance of UK institutions so that the country could develop the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector.
For his part, the Health Minister underlined that the handing-over of Pfizer paediatric vaccines was a landmark event regarding the National Vaccination Campaign against COVID-19, which kicked off in January 2021 with the objective of ensuring that each citizen had access to safe and efficient vaccine.
“Government understood from the beginning that vaccination was key to resume normality following the outbreak of COVID-19,” he said.
Minister Jagutpal asked people to remain on their guard as new variants were bound to emerge with their own specificities pertaining to virulence and contagiousness.
While explaining that vaccination for children aged between five and 11 was not mandatory, he strongly encouraged parents to vaccinate their children since it constituted a reliable and additional protection against the Coronavirus.
The shots would be administered within school settings as from next week. As for the British High Commissioner, she pointed out the necessity not to be complacent as COVID-19 cases continued to happen.
Ms Pierre lauded Mauritius for its approach, determination, and response in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the country boasting of having one of the highest vaccination rates in the region.
“It is yet another example of Mauritius’ regional leadership,” she stated, adding that the arrival of the paediatric vaccines was a demonstration of the extent the UK valued the brave international stance Mauritius had taken as well as the deep, historic partnership between the two countries.
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