ORANJESTAD – The vaccination rate on St. Eustatius is slowly increasing, but is still on the low side, especially compared to sister islands Bonaire and Saba.

This is apparent from, among other things, the progress report that State Secretary for the Interior and Kingdom Affairs, Raymond Knops, sent to the House of Representatives last week.

“I also stated in my previous letter that the vaccination rate is (too) low. Now, six months later, the vaccination rate among adults has risen from 46 percent to 56 percent. Since June, young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have also been vaccinated, which means that the overall vaccination rate currently stands at 46 percent,” said Knops.

The State Secretary also indicates that this vaccination rate is in fact not yet sufficient for the total reopening of the island. “I am of the opinion that all economic activities must be started up and that the Public Entity St. Eustatius (OLE) must continue to take measures for non-vaccinated people”.

Advise

According to Knops, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport continues to advise the OLE on possibilities to increase the vaccination rate. “I would therefore like to emphasize once again to the Statians that a high vaccination rate in these times forms the basis for a resilient economy and for public health.”