The Covid-19 Task Force is taking up the task of educating and convincing the public that the Covid vaccine is safe and protects them from the deadly virus.
Chairman Lieutenant Governor Talauega Eleasalo Ale said at a meeting of the Task Force Monday, they have members from the government and private sectors and the medical community who can best provide answers to the public about why getting vaccinated is not only beneficial for them but for the whole of American Samoa.
Talauega said such outreach programs compliment efforts currently carried out by the Department of Health. He says it should be an ongoing effort not only in government, but also in businesses, schools, community groups and even on social media.
DOH has been conducting outreaches in schools, businesses and government agencies and they’re also looking at adding more vaccination sites to reach as many people as possible.
Director of the VA Clinic and Task Force member Dr. Fred Uhrle noted that the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccines are now available in the territory and are safe. He said the bottom line is: all three vaccines protect against the COVID and have saved lives.
“No one has died [from taking] any of the three vaccines, no serious illnesses have happened with any of these three when taking the shot,” he told a Task Force meeting yesterday. “Everyone here is going to be a spokesman for the Task Force and we need to relay that [to the public] when we are talking about vaccination.”
DOH reports that as of April 5th, 18,315 or 55.2% of American Samoa’s population eligible to get vaccinated have had at least one shot. Of this number, 14,198 or 42.8% have completed two-shots or are now considered fully vaccinated.
American Samoa has received a total of 44,770 vaccine doses for Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen.
As of April 5th there are 12,483 doses remaining. This inventory will be replenished with 19,320 doses of Pfizer, Moderna and J&J expected in April and May.
