Yesterday the country marked a significant milestone in the vaccination of the population.
According to the Ministry of Health, over 500,000 people in Trinidad and Tobago are fully vaccinated.
To be exact 502,299 people.
It is indeed noteworthy that the country has crossed the half a million mark.
This means we are a bit closer to herd immunity, which requires at least 900,000 people in a population of 1.3 million to be fully vaccinated.
It would seem as though recent efforts by the Minister of Health and health officials to encourage vaccinations and make it even more accessible throughout the country are slowly paying off.
But yesterday the good news was coupled with the bad as nine more cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 were recorded in this country.
Already the Delta variant is in community spread and the cases are climbing.
From August 11 when the first case was detected to now, there have been 26 cases.
Health officials have warned repeatedly about the devastating toll the Delta variant could have on an unvaccinated population.
Despite crossing the half a million mark, more than 60 per cent of the population are yet to take a COVID-19 vaccine.
Based on comments on social media it seems the efforts to convince citizens that vaccination is the only way to end the COVID-19 pandemic, continue to fall short.
Many citizens have made up their minds not to be vaccinated but are yet to explain the other viable option to end this pandemic.
While there has been much debate about the education of the nation’s children, with stakeholders unhappy with almost every proposal, feasible alternatives are yet to be offered.
Even a move to vaccinate children ages 12 to 18, has not yielded the desired results. As of yesterday a mere 30,000 of 90,000 children eligible to be inoculated received the full two doses.
This country’s Caricom neighbours are finding ways to move ahead with the education of its youngsters, while quarrels and wranglings are taking place locally.
One can only hope that the appeal of recreation and entertainment being provided by the safe zones for fully vaccinated citizens, will serve as a much-needed impetus for others on the fence to get vaccinated.
But the outcome remains in the hands of citizens, who must make a decision on the future they want for themselves.
It is only through vaccination that we can truly get back to that space of normalcy, especially for children who are losing out on the education that only face to face schooling and interaction with their peers can provide.