COVID-19

Vaccinations are certainly not a "Hail Mary" hope by the government.  I'd argue the administration should redouble their efforts and commitment to accelerate the roll-out.  It is a massive logistical undertaking, but with better planning, organization and commitment improvements should be evident.

2 weeks ago, DR was vaccinating at a rate of 1 per 100, today it's down to .64 per 100. 
it is estimated that 30% have at least one shot and if they can accelerate rate of vaccinations back to 1+ per hundred, you could get at least one shot in another 20% of the population in the next 20 days.

countries like Mongolia are currently vaccinating at a daily pace of 1.6 per 100, so it can be done, but should be the exclusive focus of the administration for the next 2 months.  case counts could reverse dramatically and it won't take mid-day curfews (which only kick the can down the road)

my fingers are crossed they can improve the roll-out

You have misread the intention of the post.

The government's current policy shows very little effort at enforcement of the current controls of mask use, social distancing and other sanitary measures. It is facing a chronc sitiuation nationally yet has only implemented slightly more restrictive measures in Santo Domingo.

It is relaying on vaccination to take it out of the problem quickly which is a 'Hail Mary' shot under the current progress of vaccination. As of yesterday 1,042,831 people had received both shots which is about 12% of the population. It has a long way to go to get anywhere near a point where vacinations will slow down the transmission and we are already seeing a drop off in take up at 3,171,332 persons getting vaccinated to date.

Vaccination is the only longer term way forward and the DR is doing it's best but right now more vigourous control is the immediate essential action imo and then persuasion for everybody to go get vaccinated and keep the supply of vaccines coming.

And I would also suggest they cannot vaccinate more rapidly then the vaccines arrive!  I think they are doing a good job  of that with what we have!  They signed contracts and  committed to vaccines that have never arrived!   That is not their fault!

And I agree with Lennox we are referring to all the other things we can do. Relying on vaccines to save us is not working and cannot work until after  70% of the population has received their second vaccine! We are  months and months away from that. They need to take stronger actions now.

We're due for our second vaccine tomorrow, and since I knew the sites used here in LT have been changing, I just went to see where they are. The official site is showing no locations for vaccines in Las Terrenas now!

We're fortunate to have a car and can drive to Sanchez or Samana to get our shots, but what about all those who don't have cars? Or can't take several hours away to travel for the shot?

The problem is the rest of the world including other Islands are coming out of lockdowns and reopening both their economies and tourism. In the states, you can just about go anywhere and get the shot, medical, grocery, pharmacies etc... The cruise industry is about to open full steam ahead and I just don't see the tourism Presidente taking any actions that would curtail the country's important industry. I know the government has dealt with a lot of issues out of their control but they are responsible for public health and so far it has been an epic fail. IMO

They do keep changing the vaccine centres.

The one both myself and wife used in Cevicos changed 3 times. But they did have a mobile unit that is going around the smaller communities and that arrival is spread by word of mouth.

The "teteo" was strong this weekend in Punta Cana; Concerts and others ...

https://bavarodigital.net/el-teteo-fue- … y-demas-2/

Verón-Punta Cana.-  From concerts to clandestine parties this weekend took place in Verón-Punta Cana despite the outbreak of Covid-19 and the announcement of new variants of the virus in the Dominican Republic.

On social networks, photos and videos of the great crowd that Myke Towers had in a presentation on Saturday night at the reopening of the Imagine Cave disco, located on Av. Estados Unidos, near the Cruce de Coco Loco, transcended.

The Puerto Rican was accompanied by Dominican singers Secreto, El Químico and Jay Menez.

The activity has generated strong criticism on social networks, where many people describe the action as unfair and irresponsible due to the health emergency that the country is currently experiencing due to the increase in cases of coronavirus and the appearance of new B strains 1.1.7 (VOC202012 / 01); B.1.351. (501Y.V2); P.1 and B.1.617.

Jealousy is also part of the event, since there were those who commented that in Punta Cana President Luis Abinader does not rule, and that while in Greater Santo Domingo they restrict, in Punta Cana there are no limits.

Likewise, in a tour made by Bávaro Digital, we were able to observe the dozens of clandestine parties in this tourist district without any type of sanitary measures.

Teteo - go out for fun.

This explains the recent sharp rise in cases in La Altagracia (PC/Bavaro/Veron) where capitalistas go at weekends and spread the virus.

People from SD leave every weekend for various parts of the country. Same for Santiago.

Parties are bloody well everywhere.

People are sick and tired of restrictions and being at home.

People are sick and tired of the irresponsible actions if those who don't care.

People are sick and tired of the govt accepting this.

People are sick and tired of double standards!

You can't fault the government for trying to get vaccines and people vaccinated quickly:

RD will receive more vaccines and syringes this week

https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ … NI26598162

The Dominican Republic will receive another batch of COVID-19 vaccines from China on Thursday of this week, which would be added to the 5.4 million that the country has received so far.

A flight scheduled to depart from the Asian country on Tuesday will make a stopover in Brussels and would arrive at the José Francisco Peña Gómez International Airport of Las Américas (AILA-JFPG) next Thursday, in case there is no delay.

A source revealed to Diario Libre that the shipment will also contain syringes, but the number of vaccines or injections is not yet specified.

The doses would arrive at 4:20 in the afternoon by TUI Airlines, and vice president Raquel Peña, in her capacity as coordinator of the Health Cabinet, is expected to make the official announcement.

Last Tuesday, May 25, the country received one million Chinese vaccines from the Sinovac pharmaceutical company, as well as three million syringes, which were used to continue with the National Vaccination Plan.


But Dominicans are refusing the AZ vaccine here:

Dominicans refuse to get vaccinated with AstraZeneca

The health authorities continue to advance with the National Vaccination Plan, which has already reached 4,214,163 doses applied , while more than one million Dominicans are fully immunized . However, the country assumes another challenge, as the people who come to the centers refuse to receive the AstraZeneca doses , after all the information that has circulated about the biological of this pharmaceutical house.

Diario Libre was able to verify this reality in the vaccination center of the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University (Unphu), where the room enabled to apply the AstraZeneca vaccine was empty, despite the fact that people were waiting to receive their first dose in the waiting tent .

Those who attended this center chose to receive the Sinovac vaccine, although their waiting time was longer, since, in addition to the first dose, the center applies the second. The main reason why those present do not want this vaccine is because of the side effects such as thrombi, which is attributed to Astrazeneca.

Medical College accuses the Government of the third COVID outbreak for lowering its guard

They claim that the Government sent the wrong message to the population

Insist young people to get vaccinated

https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ … OI26594587

The Dominican Medical College (CMD) affirmed this Monday that the outbreak registered in the country is due to the fact that the Government lowered its guard and sent the wrong message to the population, regardless of the fact that there is an important segment of the citizenry that does not collaborate.

The president of the CMD, Waldo Ariel Suero, said that the conditions are not yet in place to remove the mask despite the vaccination. Although he urged the population to get vaccinated since it is one of the main tools to combat COVID-19.

“I tell the Dominicans, especially the youth who do not want to be vaccinated, that it is a serious mistake not to get vaccinated. I have not seen a single Dominican who has died with the vaccine, however there are thousands of Dominicans who have died and many more income from COVID -19 and thousands and thousands of infected, "he said.

Similarly, Suero pointed out that the return to classes "was a mistake and an abuse" , since the hospitals of Greater Santo Domingo, San Cristobal and Barahona have more than 90% occupancy.

"We raised the position that the curfew be tighter , but no, it was not observed, I hope that after this weekend it will not have important effects. In any case, we could observe that this Mother's Day was not so significant, ”said Suero.

In relation to the information offered by the Minister of Health, Daniel Rivera, on the increase in measures in the provinces that register the most cases, Suero pointed out that they must put a curfew from five or six in the afternoon .

"COVID-19 is not going to be solved for now, it is reduced, it is controlled, morbidity is reduced, mortality is reduced as the vaccine advances. It is buying time for the vaccine to advance and if people are not vaccinated we cannot advance ”, he said.

Suero indicated that no one is saved from COVID-19, so he urges the population to get vaccinated.

New Curfew

Government has a new curfew from 3:00 and 6:00 in the afternoon

The schedule will be applied according to the level of contagion of COVID-19 in the provinces.

https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ … HC26605345

The Executive Branch modified the curfew schedule on Monday, which will begin from this Wednesday, June 2, until June 9.

The new schedule for 24 provinces and the National District will be from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. from Monday to Friday and Saturday and Sunday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. tomorrow the next day.

In both cases, people will be given three hours of grace for the exclusive return to their homes.

June 2nd to June 9th only in this decree. Two weekends.

Applies to these provinces according to El Dia:

Distrito Nacional, Azua,  Bahoruco,  Barahona,  Dajabón,  Elias Piña, El Seibo,  Hato Mayor,  Hermanas Mirabal,  Independencia, La Romana, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monserior Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata,  Pedernales, Peravia, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa,San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago Rodriguez,  Santo Domingo y Valverde.

No Santiago, Puerto Plata, Samana, La Altagracia, Espaillat. La Vega and Duarte which keep the current curfew hours.

Quite strange seeing La Altagracia and Santiago are looking bad compared to say MTS and Hermanas Mirabal. The hospitals in SFM in Duarte are full so are they in Santiago. So everybody will head to the tourist zones for the weekends from the red zones and so spread the virus.

More.

They prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages from 3:00 in the afternoon

https://eldia.com.do/prohiben-expendio- … -la-tarde/

The government prohibited this Monday at the national level the sale of alcoholic beverages to be consumed in public and private spaces for public use from 3:00 pm to 5:00 am, as well as the consumption of these products in said places.

The measure, contained in Decree 349-21, also provides that places of consumption of food and beverages throughout the national territory may receive customers in their facilities up to 50% of their total capacity, in strict compliance with current sanitary protocols. , and without exceeding six people per table in the places that apply.

Regarding open spaces in the open air, it establishes that people may use these spaces throughout the national territory, such as parks and boardwalks, for activities that do not involve crowding and in strict compliance with current health protocols.

While places dedicated to sports and physical exercise, throughout the national territory, such as gyms, may receive clients in their facilities up to 50% of their total capacity, in strict compliance with current health protocols.

Likewise, it emphasizes that throughout the national territory, the activities of the different churches and other religious denominations may be held three times a week, in strict compliance with current sanitary protocols and without exceeding 50% of the total capacity of its facilities.

»It is provided that, throughout the national territory, the other public and private spaces for public use not expressly mentioned may receive up to 50% of their total capacity in their facilities. These places must additionally apply those protocols and distancing measures dictated by the relevant entities for their safe operation by virtue of the pandemic, ”the decree establishes.

They have done something.  Let's hope it's kept in place long enough and that it works!

For many expats the restriction placed on alcoholic sales and drinking in public places from 3pm may seem draconian.

That maybe appear the case in the locations where expats reside by and large in this country.

But for those of us who have seen the barrios and towns from early afternoon to after dark thronged with mainly young people and those 'teteos' (going out for fun) with excessive drinking, music and socializing in close proximity, it is probably a good solution.

The press seems to think that was the main aim to stop the spread of the virus.

Measures seek more control of the "teteos"



https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2 … los-teteos

My prediction, it will only make matters worse...watch how much illegal alcohol hits the streets now...

What is the possibility of a government U turn on these provinces  in relation to curfew times?

Duarte  20 cases 4 week positivity up to 9.13%
Espaillat  10 caes 4 week positivity up to 6.87%
La Atagracia 26 cases 4 week positivity up to 17.71%
La Vega 30 cases 4 week positivity up to 11.03%
Santiago 56 cases 4 week positivity up to 10.67%

PP had 14 new cases and the 4 week positivity appears to be understated at 3.09%.

Yet for the report for PP on 22.05 it also had a 4 week positivity of 3.09% and in that period there were 820 tests ( 43,793 - 42,973) and a reduction in cases of 71 ( 7788 - 7859) - the figures are being incorrectly presented/ manipulated and it appears PP has a much bigger problem than stated.

WHO approves emergency use of Chinese Sinovac vaccine

https://listindiario.com/las-mundiales/ … id-sinovac

The World Health Organization (WHO) approved on Tuesday the emergency use of the Chinese vaccine Sinovac against covid-19, this UN agency reported in a statement.

The WHO vaccine expert committee recommended the vaccine, which requires two doses at two to four week intervals for people 18 years of age and older.

Recent large scale actual results from Chile, Brazil and Uraguay have suggested it is a very effective vaccine with variants in play.

Brazil Covid: Deaths plunge after town's adults vaccinated

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57309538

A Brazilian town has seen a 95% drop in Covid-19 deaths after almost all adults were vaccinated as part of an experiment, researchers say.

Serrana, with 45,000 inhabitants, saw cases plunge after a mass vaccination with the Chinese-developed CoronaVac.

The team said those who had not been vaccinated were also protected by the reduction in the virus's circulation.

The findings suggest the pandemic can be controlled after 75% of people are fully dosed.

Brazil has been hit hard by the pandemic, with nearly 463,000 deaths.

The country is struggling with a slow vaccination campaign due to insufficient jabs, while the average of daily deaths and cases remains high amid a lack of co-ordinated measures to curb infections.

The experiment in Serrana, in the south-eastern São Paulo state, was carried out between February and April by Instituto Butantan, which produces the CoronaVac vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech.

The city was divided into four areas to help determine the threshold for containing the virus. The team said this was achieved after three areas, or about 75% of the population over the age of 18, had been given both doses.

When 95% of adults were fully vaccinated, they said the results showed that:

Deaths fell by 95%
Hospitalisations fell by 86%
Symptomatic cases fell by 80%
Ricardo Palacios, research director at Butantan, said the key figure was the 75%.

"The most important result is that we can control the pandemic without having to vaccinate the whole population," he said.

Mr Palacios also said there was a decline in the number of cases among children and teenagers, who had not been vaccinated. This could indicate that there was no need to vaccinate children for schools to reopen, he said.

According to Mr Palacios, the vaccine was also effective against the variant originally known as P.1, and now called Gamma, that was first identified in the northern city of Manaus and has been blamed for a surge in cases across the country.

Serrana, some 315km (195 miles) from São Paulo, is surrounded by cities that are grappling with a spike in infections. A lockdown is in place in Ribeirão Preto, located 24km away with a population of 710,000.

The results of the experiment could give a boost to the CoronaVac, which is being used by dozens of developing countries. There was some controversy about the vaccine this year, after clinical trials in Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey put its efficacy in a range of 50% to 90%.

The CoronaVac is an inactivated vaccine, and works by using killed viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response.

The experiment in Serrana was the first of its kind in the world, its authors said. There were no reports of severe side effects from the vaccine and no Covid-related deaths among those who had been vaccinated 14 days after the second shot was applied, the results showed.

A similar study is being carried out in another Brazilian city, Botucatu, which has a population of 148,000. Researchers are using the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, produced locally by the Fiocruz institute.

Brazil has the second-highest Covid death toll in the world after the US, and the third-highest number of cases, at more than 16.5 million. The Brazilian Senate is holding an inquiry into President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic and the slow roll-out of the vaccine programme.

What % of population in DR is estimated to be vaccinated at this point?

Acumulados al 31 de Mayo de 2021
3,223,950
Primera dosis
1,087,424
Segunda dosis
4,311,374
Total dosis aplicadas
1,087,424
Población completamente vacunada

That is just over 10% fully vaccinated based on a population of 10.5m and about 30% first dose.

94% of the vaccines are Sinovac which provides good protection two weeks after second dose, less so after first dose.

We need at least 5 million full doses to see real benefits and hopefully that could be possible by August.

In the meantime expect a rough ride as they try to dampen the high rates of transmission nationally and the new curfew times from tomorrow are just the start imo especially if there is big resistance to vaccination.

I see Santiago municipal council are thinking of restricting accesses to public facilities to those with vaccination cards. Perhaps this is a way to get people vaccinated.

PLD is suggesting vaccination teams go house to house.

Wait, I thought Punta Cana was to be a covid-free zone by now. 

🙈

Hahahah covid free zone.  Exactly how would that even be possible?

I thought I would check on the provincial positivity over the past 10 bulletins for the curfew change exempt provinces using the bulletin data issued by the MOD using the daily reported cases and the test total difference between the first and last report and came up with some staggering results:

Between Bulletin # 429 for 21st May and Bulletin # 439 for 31st May based upon these government figures:

10 day positivity for Duarte was 4.64%, for Espaillat was 12.83%, for La Altagracia ( includes East Coast resort areas) was 27.74%, for La Vega was -38.11% (yes minus), for Puerto Plata was 11.27%, for Samana was 3.54% and for Santiago was 58.98%.

The calculations of provincial and national 4 week positivities should be reviewed with much caution imo.The day positivity, case numbers, hospital capacities and total active cases are our best guides as to how bad this current 4th wave is and will become as the impacts of Mother Day kick in from this weekend and after the Corpus Christi long weekend from tomorrow. I would be most surprised if this short stronger curfew will have much effect over the rest of June.

This Bulletin is for yesterday which is 2 days before the new curfew and restrictions kick in:




Grim reading before Mothers Day effect enters the numbers.

As a fully vaccinated couple,  who sadly watch their privately owned, beautiful Dominican casa languish from afar,  I am curious.

Hear me out. And I am expecting feedback.

It seems most on this forum are vaccinated. When articles about the increasingly harsh lock downs are published, I see lots of comments by expats  (different forums and sources) bemoaning the idea that tourists areas and international travel are not being strictly curtailed.

In my mind,  most travelers, at least from the states and Europe are either already vaccinated or follow mask rules (required to fly) or both.  And most of them go to tourist areas which are basically isolated enclaves since leaving them requires courage and facing curfews. US also requires a negative Covid test for re-admittance to the states.

Since tourism helps the economy greatly, I would think there might be a better reception  to it.

I wonder how many of the expat tourism detractors have themselves been vaccinated? And if not,  what their excuses are. I am not antivax. And I don't think forcing people is ethical. And as I said above,  the hubs and I are, by choice, both fully vaccinated.

I understand the logistics of vaccinations are much more difficult. But the DR does seem to be mimicking the rest of the world in how they are handling the pandemic.  Hopefully,  that means vaccination rates will pick up soon.  I just don't understand the continued harsher and harsher lock downs. And we wonder how much longer even the minority group of people who seem to comply with them will continue to do so.

Brewpub56 wrote:

As a fully vaccinated couple,  who sadly watch their privately owned, beautiful Dominican casa languish from afar,  I am curious.

Hear me out. And I am expecting feedback.

It seems most on this forum are vaccinated. When articles about the increasingly harsh lock downs are published, I see lots of comments by expats  (different forums and sources) bemoaning the idea that tourists areas and international travel are not being strictly curtailed.

In my mind,  most travelers, at least from the states and Europe are either already vaccinated or follow mask rules (required to fly) or both.  And most of them go to tourist areas which are basically isolated enclaves since leaving them requires courage and facing curfews. US also requires a negative Covid test for re-admittance to the states.

Since tourism helps the economy greatly, I would think there might be a better reception  to it.

I wonder how many of the expat tourism detractors have themselves been vaccinated? And if not,  what their excuses are. I am not antivax. And I don't think forcing people is ethical. And as I said above,  the hubs and I are, by choice, both fully vaccinated.

I understand the logistics of vaccinations are much more difficult. But the DR does seem to be mimicking the rest of the world in how they are handling the pandemic.  Hopefully,  that means vaccination rates will pick up soon.  I just don't understand the continued harsher and harsher lock downs. And we wonder how much longer even the minority group of people who seem to comply with them will continue to do so.

Brewpub56:

You make very good points.   I'm also on the pro-tourist side.  We last visited in March, unfortunately, we weren't yet vaccinated due to policies in the US and our home state.  We weren't yet eligible

We scrupously followed strict safety (masks, wipes,  handwashing, etc.) and social distancing protocols.  Yet still had a lot of fun!

Fortunately, policies changed in March, and we were completely vaxed by the end of April. 

BUT, there is a fundamental challenge faced by the DR:  they picked the wrong vaccine.

Why the DR chose the Chinese Sinovac vaccine isn't clear to me.  I think the DR's leaders were mainly  trying to save money and attempting to live within their means.   
>> Others in this forum tend toward the belief that richer nations selfishly preempted all the other vaccines, and Sinovac was a forced last-ditch effort to vaccinate at least some of their population. 

However it came about, atvthis point, is irrelevant, as the DR is still relying on a vax with an official effectiveness rate of only 50%. 
>> Judging by the DR's continuing, increasing infection rates, I judge there is reason to be skeptical about even the 50% claim. 

So, I'm not an an anti-vaxer, by any means.  Still, I understand why some families are, skeptical of vaccines.
>> Too many of us remember the Swine Flu breakout of 1976, when several hundred folks died from the vaccine (a bad batch), far more than died from the Swine Flu itelf. 
>> Personally, I have a niece who went from normal to autistic in just a few months...starting immediately one the battery of early childhood vaccines.  Such reactions seem to follow genetic lines...so I absolutely believe parents should be able to refuse vaccines for the children. 

Anyway, the way the DR is heading now, they really have no choice but to do a total lockdown for a few weeks.
>> Will that include tourists and the tourist areas?  Tough call to make.
>> The DR desparately needs foreign currency with which to buy more and better vaccines, and just to keep their economy moving.
>> Trouble is, many DR residents will see tourists living well in the resort bubbles, and be enraged they themselves are in tight lockdowns.
>> Which leads, perhaps to unwise choices to break the lockdowns and ignore social distancing.   

I don't know how this will end, but I do pray both wisdom and compassion are used by the government, and by the citizens of the DR.  It will take all of them to be successful. 

Hopefully, better vaccines will become more available soon as developed nations finish inoculating most of their populations.   Then, better vaccines should start flowing toward the DR, hopefully at lower prices. 

In the meantime, we pray for all in the DR:  citizens, residents and tourists alike. 

Jim
ExpatRusher

Good first post.

DR has and continues to be very pro tourism with limited entry controls and that has been reinforced this week by David Collado, the Tourism Minister, by keeping the curfew unchanged for 4 of the tourist provinces whilst data suggests there is a   problem with virus spread in 3 of those provinces.

The lack of transparency in the data for those provinces is worrying for DR and it's residents because transmission of infections to tourists would be a PR disaster.
Germany has already cut back on recommendations to visit here because of this 4th wave.

To reassure the tourist industry even more, the Punta Cana Group which operates the PUJ airport and some hospitality are mandating that all their suppliers and staff be vaccinated from the 1st July. All hotel staff are apprently vaccinated with at least one shot. All supliers to hotels should be encouraged to get vaccinated or be reassigned imo.

As you say many USA visitors, who are the majority of our visitors, have been vaccinanted so to carry a card for entry is very feasible especailly now the digital entry form is in play. Surely this is the way forward once DR gets a level of vaccination cover which is a few months away to prevent reinfection of the population here?

There is plenty of transmission going on in the country right now and some of that may have been imported and certainly the presence of variants confirms that. So the conclusion must be that the  policy of no testing at airports for arrivals has allowed imported transmission.

The country does not know the current extent of it's problem now but up until a few weeks ago prior to the last relaxation of curfew the situation was manageable.

It is not now with hospitals close to capacity and tear wrenching videos of people trying to find hospital spaces for their loved ones.

Something had to be done even though it was already too late and the measures are probably far too little to stop this wave during June and into July and maybe beyond.

Vaccination is the only hope and with one million more Sinovac doses coming tomorrow, 200k Pfizer on 10th June (for under 18s) plus some AZ on 20th June and probabaly a few more million Sinovac doses in June too for second shots, there is light on the horizon IF Dominicans get vaccinated.

I am fully vaccinated and don't think changing the entry situation will have any effect now. But I do support future use of vaccination cards for travel and as is now being suggested here (Santiago at least) for entry to public places.

Since you are fully vaccinated, I do hope you visit your 'casa' soon when this wave is suppressed and we are back to a more sustainable situation. Nobody likes long curfew and responsible expats are suffering because of the folk who have indulged in teteos without precautions.

So let's clear up this repeated concept that the govt had ANY choice in vaccines!  They bought and committed to several. Other countries bumped us out of line and we did not get what was needed! 

This govt got what they could when they could! 

Those are FACTS!   The govt did NOT pick the wrong vaccine! 

The vaccine is now approved for emergency use by the WHO.

'BUT, there is a fundamental challenge faced by the DR:  they picked the wrong vaccine.'

Sorry Jim you are spreading fake news.

Who else has provided vaccines to DR to date? 94% Sinovac. DR found what was available and bought it.

Sinovac is just as effective as Pfizer vaccine in preventing ICU entry and better at preventing death where there is a large pressence of PI circulating as proven by a study of 862k in Uraguay realeased this past week (https://www.presidencia.gub.uy/comunica … suministra).(The minister highlighted that the document reveals rates of decrease in income to CTI of 95% with the Coronavac vaccine and 99% with that of Pfizer. While the number of fatal cases is reduced by 97% with the Chinese vaccine and 80% with that of the American laboratory.). It has also been shown to be very effective in actual studies in Brazal(BBBC post yesterday)and Chile and even here.

it may be take longer to get full immunity (2 weeks after the second shot) but it has been here in DR since March. Pfizer and AZ have failed DR badly.

[Post under review]

It could prove interesting if private companies ie airlines and cruise lines don't require proof of vaccination but individual countries do. Or if some companies do and some don't.  Marketing will be interesting in the months to come.

Agree that the DR has faced many challenges to include supply chain issues. But it's time for excuses to end and time to get the vaccine in the arms of it's citizens. IMHO

We got our second shots today! So Rocky and I are not fully vaccinated!

I do feel better now that WHO has approved Sinovac, but I was going to take what was available!

It is unconstitutional here it appears to enforce vacination, but it appears it is legal to restrict access with emergency powers in place to public places and for private entities to have rules too.

The government is pulling out all the stops to get people vaccinated through publicity campaigns and sending mobile units throughout the country - and getting vaccines where it can.

The only way out of this is to get above 75% vaccinated and then make sure your country doesn't get reinfected with a new variant. If the USA can demand an antigen test to fly there so can every other country. Many currently do regionally. Vaccine passports will be easier once they are agreed and verifiable.

Punta Cana airport collaborators must be vaccinated to enter the company

https://listindiario.com/economia/2021/ … la-empresa

As of July 1, 2021, it will be "essential" that the employees of the Punta Cana airport present a vaccination certificate in order to enter the company's facilities.

This was stated by the tourist company in a circular addressed to the entire airport community by virtue of the preventive health measures by the Dominican State to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Similarly, the company assured that it reinforces current preventive measures such as mandatory use of a mask, physical distancing protocols and hand washing and disinfection.

The airport authorities asked that the information be shared with the collaborators because effective control mechanisms will be made to comply with these measures.

The statement is signed by Alberto Smith , Director of Landside Operations.

Pro tourism action in an airport that receives untested tourists.

I think you mean you ARE fully vaccinated. congrats!

Resolution seeks not to allow the unvaccinated to enter public spaces

"For you to board my bus, those of Conatra, you have to present the vaccination card", assured the president of this confederation

https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2 … -vacunados

The president of the National Transportation Confederation, Antonio Marte, explained that as of June 10, the date on which he plans to complete the vaccination of all Conatra personnel, all passengers who require the services will be requested of Conatra buses, the vaccination card against Covid-19.

"For you to board my bus, those of Conatra, you have to present the vaccination card,"  said the president of this confederation.

I explain that Conatra is forcing the drivers, collectors and all the personnel to get vaccinated and that they will not allow anyone to get on these buses without having been vaccinated.

Senator Antonio Marte assured that he, along with Dioni Sánchez, submitted an initiative to the Chamber for those who do not carry the vaccination card are not allowed to enter public spaces.

He suggested that President Abinader should, in order to control the Covid situation, prohibit in restaurants, banks, shopping centers and grocery stores, the entry of people who do not present the vaccine card.

In Santiago:

Abel Martínez evaluates the possibility of requesting a vaccination card to enter public spaces

https://listindiario.com/la-republica/2 … s-publicos

The Mayor of Santiago, Abel Martínez, said that, after the increase in Covid-19 cases throughout the country, they are evaluating the possibility of asking citizens to present a vaccination card to be able to enter public spaces.

AS more extensive testing is done on larger populations, that 50% number is growing -

Brazil Covid: Deaths plunge after town's adults vaccinated

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57309538

A Brazilian town has seen a 95% drop in Covid-19 deaths after almost all adults were vaccinated as part of an experiment, researchers say.

Serrana, with 45,000 inhabitants, saw cases plunge after a mass vaccination with the Chinese-developed CoronaVac.

The team said those who had not been vaccinated were also protected by the reduction in the virus's circulation.

The findings suggest the pandemic can be controlled after 75% of people are fully dosed.

Brazil has been hit hard by the pandemic, with nearly 463,000 deaths.

The country is struggling with a slow vaccination campaign due to insufficient jabs, while the average of daily deaths and cases remains high amid a lack of co-ordinated measures to curb infections.

The experiment in Serrana, in the south-eastern São Paulo state, was carried out between February and April by Instituto Butantan, which produces the CoronaVac vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech.

The city was divided into four areas to help determine the threshold for containing the virus. The team said this was achieved after three areas, or about 75% of the population over the age of 18, had been given both doses.

When 95% of adults were fully vaccinated, they said the results showed that:

Deaths fell by 95%
Hospitalisations fell by 86%
Symptomatic cases fell by 80%
Ricardo Palacios, research director at Butantan, said the key figure was the 75%.

"The most important result is that we can control the pandemic without having to vaccinate the whole population," he said.

Mr Palacios also said there was a decline in the number of cases among children and teenagers, who had not been vaccinated. This could indicate that there was no need to vaccinate children for schools to reopen, he said.

According to Mr Palacios, the vaccine was also effective against the variant originally known as P.1, and now called Gamma, that was first identified in the northern city of Manaus and has been blamed for a surge in cases across the country.

Serrana, some 315km (195 miles) from São Paulo, is surrounded by cities that are grappling with a spike in infections. A lockdown is in place in Ribeirão Preto, located 24km away with a population of 710,000.

The results of the experiment could give a boost to the CoronaVac, which is being used by dozens of developing countries. There was some controversy about the vaccine this year, after clinical trials in Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey put its efficacy in a range of 50% to 90%.

The CoronaVac is an inactivated vaccine, and works by using killed viral particles to expose the body's immune system to the virus without risking a serious disease response.

The experiment in Serrana was the first of its kind in the world, its authors said. There were no reports of severe side effects from the vaccine and no Covid-related deaths among those who had been vaccinated 14 days after the second shot was applied, the results showed.

A similar study is being carried out in another Brazilian city, Botucatu, which has a population of 148,000. Researchers are using the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, produced locally by the Fiocruz institute.

Brazil has the second-highest Covid death toll in the world after the US, and the third-highest number of cases, at more than 16.5 million. The Brazilian Senate is holding an inquiry into President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic and the slow roll-out of the vaccine programme