While some of our neighboring Caribbean nations still have closed borders, the US Virgin Islands has found a happy medium. With a total of 25 deaths in the territory, the positive case numbers are starting to bottom out. Some may attribute the lower numbers to the uptick in vaccines and free testing. The immune system perks of being on an island include the high doses of Vitamin D from the sunlight, the negative ions from walking on the beach or maybe it’s the local produce that is readily available. We are also still observing mandatory masks for entering establishments social distancing is practiced. All these things contribute to better health.
Most infections have been caused by people recently visiting the VI.
VACCINE CANDIDATE | PFIZER-BIOTECH | MODERNA | ASTRAZENECA-OXFORD |
---|---|---|---|
Efficacy* | 95% | 94.10% | 70% |
Type | mRNA-based | mRNA-based | adenovirus vector |
Shelf life | Can be kept in a standard refrigerator for up to 5 days, in a dry-ice chest for up to 30 days, or in an ultra-cold freezer (-94 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to 6 months. | Can be kept at room temperature for up to 12 hours, a standard refrigerator for up to 30 days, and a standard freezer for up to 6 months. | Can be kept in a standard refrigerator for at least 6 months. |
How to administer | 2 shots, 3 weeks apart | 2 shots, 4 weeks apart | 2 shots, 4 weeks apart |
Regulatory status | Received emergency authorization in the UK, submitted to FDA for emergency authorization | Submitted to the FDA for emergency authorization | Will seek early authorization globally, including emergency listing from WHO |
Peer reviewed | No | No | No |
Production capacity | Predicts it will produce up to 50 million vaccine doses for global distribution by the end of 2020, and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021. | Predicts it will have 20 million doses ready to ship in the US by the end of 2020, and produce 500 million–1 billion doses globally in 2021. | Predicts it will produce up to 3 billion doses of the vaccine in 2021. |
Doses ordered (US) | 100 million | 100 million | 300 million |
As we continue to abide by the safety standards, questions about when will we have a sense of normalcy arise. Not sure of the answers but all we can do is to “hold it down” for now.