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The Johnson &Johnson vaccine has come under scrutiny in the United States and the Center for Disease Control recommends that other vaccines be used after experts cited evidence of a rare blood clot in the brain that resulted in deaths in the past year.

The big picture

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine has been advertised as a one-shot vaccine in the fight against COVID-19. However, it remains the least popular vaccine around the world as most people prefer Pfizer, Moderna and Astra Zeneca vaccines due to safety concerns.

Nonetheless, millions of people have been vaccinated with the J&J vaccine.

In recent days, before CDC’s recommendation, it was suggested that a booster shot of the J&J booster be given to improve protection for people who had received the Pfizer or Moderna shot.

CDC is depending on data that showed nine people died as a result of the J&J shot and 54 people hospitalized. The bloodclotting risk seems greater among women between the ages 30 and 49 years old — an estimated 1 in 100,000 who had received the shot.

Symptoms occurred nine days after vaccination in the affected cases.

Why it matters

More than 150,000 people have been vaccinated in the Bahamas, which includes people who have received the J&J shot. It has been pushed in the country’s vaccination campaign and even more so as the Omicron variant raises alarm in the UK and the USA.

Driving Force

CDC stopped short of halting the use of the vaccine as blood clotting cases are rare. The health board prefers that people use other vaccines first and the vaccine be used as an option for people who are “unable or unwilling” to receive the other vaccines.

Health officials in South Africa said no one has been negatively affected by the J&J vaccine.

It remains to be seen what stance the Bahamian government will take.

Foreign travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and tested for COVID-19 according to new rules established by the Biden administration.

The new system will be implemented in early November when Bahamians and other international travelers will only be allowed to fly to the US if they are fully vaccinated and able to show proof of vaccination before boarding a U.S bound flight.

White House Covid coordinator Jeffrey Zients said, “We will move to this much stricter global system, so we will have a consistent approach across all countries, it will require foreign nationals to be vaccinated, to prove they’re vaccinated, and then to go through the testing and contact tracing regiments.”

Foreign nationals will have to be tested three days before departure to the U.S. and show proof of a negative test.

The CDC will also require airlines to collect information for each U.S.-bound traveler, including their phone number and email address, to aid public health officials in contact tracing.

Why it matters

On the campaign trail, former Prime Minister Hubert Minnis announced that the USA would soon require only fully vaccinated travelers to enter its borders. He admonished Bahamians to get fully vaccinated to be able to travel to the US.

The Bahamas has already secured three vaccines: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.

State of play

The US has not yet stipulated what it constitutes as fully vaccinated and what vaccines will be qualified for entry.

The new policy applies only to air travel.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC), the national public health agency of the United States announced today that fully vaccinated people do not have to wear the mask during indoor and outdoor activities.

What the CDC says

“If you are fully vaccinated, you are protected, and you can start doing the things that you stopped doing because of the pandemic,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a White House press briefing.

The big picture

COVID-19 cases have fallen in the US and are reported to be the lowest since July of last year. It remains to be seen what this new guideline means for the Bahamas and the rest of the world.

Worth noting

A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the last dose of the vaccine giving the immune system sufficient time to develop antibodies against the virus.

Driving the news

Fifty-eight new cases were reported in the Bahamas on Thursday–56 in New Providence; 1 in Grand Bahama; and 1 in Eleuthera.

On Monday, the second dose of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine began.

And the next batch of vaccines, comprising of 33,600 doses of AstraZeneca, through the COVAX facility arrived in the country on Tuesday.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line is seeking volunteers to test its cruises as it restarts voyages following suspensions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Why it matters

The US Center for Disease Control lifted cruise suspensions on Oct 31st, but cruise lines must conduct test sailings in the advent of new health protocols in the industry. Then cruise lines can officially begin taking passengers onboard.

What they say

Royal Caribbean’s Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed, said, “We’re going to be doing a series of sailings using our employees and other volunteers to test out the new protocols and make tweaks and modifications to ensure that everything is running smoothly and still deliver that Royal Caribbean amazing vacation experience.”

What are the requirements?

• A volunteer will be you must be 18 or older.
• They must have written proof that they have no pre-existing medical conditions that would place them at high-risk for COVID-19.
• They must follow testing protocols, including rapid testing before embarkation and disembarkation.
• Volunteers must submit to the cruise ship’s monitored observation period
• Volunteer passengers will be informed of the “inherently risky activity” of their test sailing with untested health and safety protocols.

What’s being tested?

• Embarkation and disembarkation procedures, including terminal check-in
• Activities on aboard, including dining and entertainment venues; the ship must modify meal service and entertainment venues to facilitate social distancing during the simulated
• Private island shore excursions (if a port is visited)
• Evacuation procedures
• Transfer of symptomatic passengers or crew, or those who test positive for SARSCoV-2, from cabins to isolation rooms
• Quarantine of all remaining passengers and non-essential crew

Volunteers can sign up at https://www.facebook.com/groups/rcibackatsea/

Featured Image: Royal Caribbean Cruise