London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

UK approved COVID-19 vaccine expected in VI in February 2021

UK approved COVID-19 vaccine expected in VI in February 2021

The COVID-19 vaccine approved by the United Kingdom (UK) for use by its citizens and Overseas Territories (OTs) is expected to be available in the Virgin Islands in February of this year.

According to Minister for Health and Social Development, Hon Carvin Malone (AL), the Government of the Virgin Islands will be collaborating with several agencies in supporting a national programme to make the AstraZeneca vaccine available to residents on a voluntary basis.

Premier and Minister of Finance had first announced that any COVID-19 vaccine made available to the VI by the UK would be given on a voluntary basis.

The first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine was given in the UK on January 4, 2021, to dialysis patient Brian Pinker, 82.

The UK government has since ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine, following the roll-out of the Pfizer vaccine, which was the first to be approved.


According to Minister for Health and Social Development, Hon Carvin Malone (AL), the Government of the Virgin Islands will be collaborating with several agencies in supporting a national programme to make the AstraZeneca vaccine available to residents on a voluntary basis.

National Programme


In a statement in the House of Assembly during the Fifth Sitting of the Third Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) at Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff’s Bottom, Tortola, on December 31, 2020, Minister for Health and Social Development, Honourable Carvin Malone (AL) said his ministry will work closely with Public Health England, the Caribbean Public Health Agency, CARPHA, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), and the World Health Organisation (WHO) on a national programme to make the vaccine available to residents on a purely voluntary basis.

Honourable Malone said, “Published safety data indicates that this vaccine is well tolerated and has no serious safety events confirmed related to the vaccine. Safety data will continue to be collected and monitored as the vaccine is rolled out world-wide including in the BVI. Work on a national programme to make the vaccine available to residents on a purely voluntary basis will start early in the new year in preparation for when the vaccine is delivered in the Territory.”

The national programme will be led by the Ministry of Health and involve collaboration and communication with a wide cross-section of stakeholders across government, private, and non-government sectors.

The vaccine is expected to be available in the Virgin Islands in February 2021 as the United Kingdom Government plans for deployment of the vaccine throughout the Overseas Territories.


A technician working on the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.

Vaccination an important strategy to end menace of COVID-19- Hon Malone


Honourable Malone explained that effective communication and innovative strategies are crucial to addressing the public’s concerns regarding the vaccine. He said that the Ministry of Health’s objective is to reach out to the community with information and offer vaccine to all targeted populations.

The Minister for Health said, “Vaccination of the world’s population is an important strategy to end the continued menace of COVID-19 to the world. The Territory must not only do its part in this effort, but also for our own sakes to reduce the impact of this pandemic on the Territory, its inhabitants, and our economy.”


A volunteer participating in the AstraZeneca vaccine trial having blood drawn in Oxford, England, last week.

AstraZeneca vaccine


The UK approval of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been hailed by scientists and health experts as game-changing step for tackling the coronavirus in the developing world.

Researchers at the University of Oxford built the vaccine using a kind of virus, called an adenovirus, that typically causes colds in chimpanzees. They genetically altered the virus so that it carried a gene for a coronavirus protein, which would theoretically train a person’s immune system to recognise the real coronavirus.

According to The Telegraph on December 30, 2020, the drug was made with technology and funding deliberately aimed at tackling future pandemics and will cost a fraction of existing jabs. Its ease of transport and storage as well as a worldwide manufacturing effort will bring it within reach of hundreds of millions of people in poorer countries.

“Approval of this vaccine is a turning point for the pandemic,” said Professor Helen Fletcher, at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. “It has been deliberately developed to have global impact that includes people living in the most fragile and poorest regions of the world.”

The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine can be stored at the temperature of a conventional fridge, while the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine approved earlier in December 2020 must be stored at -70C.

African governments are also thought to be keen to use the drug because it was trialled successfully in South Africa and then in Kenya.

Is the AstraZeneca vaccine safe?


According to the New York Times on December 30, 2020, for years, Oxford researchers have been testing their chimpanzee adenovirus vaccine, ChAdOx1, on a number of other diseases including Ebola and Zika.

Although none of those studies have reached the final, so-called Phase 3 trials, they have allowed researchers to examine the safety of the vaccine platform.

The researchers have not found any serious side effects.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×