HMCI Promotes Cayman’s COVID Response Regionally

Following the positive public response to the COVID-19 national vaccine roll-out so far, Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) was invited by the Bermuda Red Cross (BRC) to speak about Cayman’s experience on their local radio this week.

As part of a joint initiative by BRC and the Bermuda Broadcasting Company, disaster management representatives from around the region discussed the impact of COVID-19 and uptake of the vaccine in their community.

“The Cayman Islands’ national response to the pandemic has been exemplary, and we are very pleased to be able to share our experience with neighbours in the region. While each country is grappling with its domestic response to and the effects of the pandemic, we still very much live in a highly connected world. We’re all fighting this pandemic together. By passing on our lessons learned and best practices to other nations, we help to bring the world one step closer to returning to normalcy,” commented the Minister for Home Affairs, Hon. Tara Rivers.

“Equally, it represents another excellent opportunity to further fortify working relationships and synergies with our overseas territory allies. In recent years, this government has made a concerted effort to strengthen our collective resilience to better prepare us all for any future disasters.”

A public education campaign, cross government support and efficient roll-out logistics have contributed towards a promising uptake of the vaccine so far. As reported by the Ministry of Health on Friday, 19 March, over half of adults in the Cayman Islands have had at least one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

“While every nation will have its own particular demands, we all share similar challenges around grappling with the complex logistical challenge of vaccinating an entire population, encouraging the most vulnerable to get vaccinated, and addressing potentially dangerous misinformation that we can all learn from,” said the Director of HMCI, Danielle Coleman.

“For three small islands in the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands’ battle with COVID-19 has been hard fought but is in no way over. We look forward to continuing to work closely with partners in other overseas territories. This will help us to bring back new ideas and thinking that further bolster our response.”