An Open Letter to those in charge of the Barbados COVID-19 Vaccine Programme
I Have Questions…
The polite version of what I want to say is this: What the red rotating rangate is going on? I registered 12 days ago and have yet to receive any word on where or when I can get my vaccination…
On the one hand we have the official advice to “Wait for your appointment,” but on the other hand, every day I can hear from a variety of my friends that they basically walked into a particular location and got their shot. So which is it, people in charge? Inquiring minds want to know.
Barbados cannot be the first country in the world to roll out a mass vaccination campaign of this nature. So why are we not simply copying the successful actions of other nations? Are we trying to re-invent the wheel? If so, WHY?
Are we just incompetent? Are the people in charge and the “ground troops” communicating with each other?
Is it a case of “The Boss” saying one thing and the folks at the actual polyclinics and vaccination locations doing another?
Is there an actual public education campaign about this? I would love to know. And I am certain I am not alone. And I do not mean the quoting of numbers and largely patting one’s self on the back with statistics. People are not statistics.
I am 60 years old, have chronic health conditions and am the primary care-giver for my mother, who has several health issues and limited mobility to deal with. I would like to be able interact in person with my mother, whom I love dearly, secure in the knowledge that I am less likely to infect her with COVID-19!
This morning, a friend of mine shared with me their story of simply turning up at one location, waiting for a couple of hours and being able to receive the vaccine and their “blue card.”
Passing by one such location today, I saw at least two hundred people (my guesstimate) standing in line, waiting (im)patiently, some of them equipped with folding chairs, umbrellas and water bottles. For one moment, I was strongly tempted to join them. But I decided against it. This line-up was painfully reminiscent of standing in line to renew my driver’s licence a couple of years ago. The difference is that the line-up today poses a substantial threat to my life and my health and I am not willing to take that chance.
I am furious, I am exasperated, I am frustrated, I am disappointed. And I want some answers.
Concerns expressed here are from Kathie Daniel, active member of the Small Business Association of Barbados
I demand some answers, as a Barbadian, a taxpayer, a responsible citizen.
So, I repeat, What the red rotating rangate is going on?
