Vaccinations will go door to door Thursday and Friday

By Sapeer Mayron 04 December 2019, 7:00PM

The entire country will be focused on the mass vaccination campaign Thursday and Friday with a door to door service running from 7am until 5pm on both days. 

All fixed vaccination sites will be closed while the door to door campaign is underway.

The public sector (with some exceptions) have been enlisted to work on the campaign, while private sector has largely been told to shut down for to ensure everyone is at home, and keeping the roads clear.

Government has asked households to tie a red cloth or flag in front of their houses to wave down vaccination teams if they have not yet been immunised.

The only exceptions to the private sector shutdown are hotels and hospitality services, communications and the morgues. 

Government emergency services, security, shipping, water, power and petrol stations are also exempt from the public sector shutdown.

Closing majority of Government services mobilises a massive amount of human resources.

Additional nursing staff are joining the campaign, with a team of nurses from Hawaii en route to Samoa.

No cars are to travel unless authorised by the emergency operations to help with the campaign, or unless they are going to a medical facility.

The nation still has a way to go in building herd immunity against measles. The National Emergency Operations Committee reports that at the beginning of the week, nearly 70 per cent of the most vulnerable group of children under four years old were vaccinated.

Children between five and 19 are covered 81 per cent of the way, as well as 67 per cent of women aged 30 t 35 (who are not pregnant).

Just 31 per cent of the remaining population of Samoa has been immunised.

The rates are the result of a major effort by the Ministry of Health to get immunisation coverage to the World Health Organisation standard of 95 per cent – the only coverage rate that guarantees protection from epidemics. 

Between November 20 and December 2, 58,150 people were vaccinated in the mass vaccination campaign.

The following is the statement from the Government: 

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR THE DOOR TO DOOR MASS VACCINATION CAMPAIGN

 In response to the current measles outbreak, the Government of Samoa will be undertaking a ‘Door to door Mass Vaccination Campaign’ on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th December, 2019 from 7am to 5pm throughout the whole country. 

 All public and private sectors will be closed on the above mentioned dates from 7am to 5pm to ensure a good coverage of the vaccination plan. 

The public is hereby advised to tie a red cloth or red flag in front of their houses and near the road to indicate that family members have not been vaccinated. The red mark makes it easier for the teams to identify households for vaccinations.

 Appreciate the community’s assistance in spreading the message to every household to ensure that the Campaign is a success.  

 Thank you,

DISASTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 


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Health
By Sapeer Mayron 04 December 2019, 7:00PM
Samoa Observer

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