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Covid vaccine registry closes on Friday, Govt warns

The GHA is urging anyone who is interested in receiving a vaccine to register online by Friday, as Gibraltar’s Covid-19 vaccination programme is entering its final phase

Two further small batches of the vaccine are expected to be delivered from the UK via the RAF, one next week, and another in early May.

But, in a statement, the Gibraltar Government warned that there is no guarantee that anyone who does not register before Friday will be able to access the vaccine in Gibraltar in the foreseeable future.

The St Bernard’s vaccination unit closed last month and the ERS unit completed vaccinating the last few remaining members of staff and patients last week.

The ICC vaccination unit has reduced operating days to two to three days per week until the end of May, while jabs are administered to category 9 people which includes cross-frontier workers.

Special arrangements are being made for university students returning to the Rock in May and June, but they are also encouraged to register online via: www.gha.gi/university-students-register-of-interest-form.

Anyone who has postponed having their second vaccine is also reminded to book an appointment before mid-May or a second dose will not be possible, the statement read.

The GHA has also received enquiries about vaccinating children, a statement from No.6 Convent Place said.

“At this stage, the Pfizer vaccine is only licenced to be given to people aged 16 and over, but clinical trials on under-16s are currently underway,” the statement added.

“If these trials recommend giving the vaccine to children, arrangements will be made to vaccinate in Gibraltar through a schools-based programme for which we would hope to receive a further supply of vaccine from the UK.”

The Minister for Health and Care, Samantha Sacramento, thanked all those involved in the vaccination programme.

“As I walked down Main Street on Saturday and saw life in Gibraltar almost back to normal, it really brought home to me just how successful ‘Operation Freedom’, the GHA’s vaccination programme has been,” she said.

“The vast majority of people living or working in Gibraltar have now received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine and the latest research shows that 95% of these people will therefore have circulating antibodies to the virus that causes Covid-19.”

“All of us that have benefited from this amazing programme need to sincerely thank everyone involved - the UK Government and the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office for ensuring that Gibraltar had the vaccine; Public Health England for their advice and support on the vaccination programme; the Royal Air Force, the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and the Royal Gibraltar Police for all their logistical and security support in getting the vaccine to the right place at the right time; Mr Solomon Macias for generously donating the space at the ICC to use as the vaccination centre for four months, and of course all at ‘Team GHA’ for their astonishing administrative, logistical and clinical expertise in vaccinating every member of the population who wanted the vaccine in just over three months.”

“I am incredibly proud of everything that has been achieved with our vaccination programme in Gibraltar, and the way in which we have been able to protect our population.”

Figures published yesterday revealed 35,901 individuals have received their first Covid-19 vaccine, while 30,811 have received both doses.

To register online for the vaccine, visit www.gha.gi/registration-for-gibraltar-residents or www.gha.gi/registration-for-cross-frontier-workers or phone 200 66966 before the end of Friday April 23, 2021.