Fiji’s Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has urged the public to register for vaccination, pledging that he would do so too for Fijians who have had to make sacrifices and lost their jobs amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Receiving another 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines that arrived last night, Bainimarama thanked the Indian Government for their assistance.
“A few minutes to protect ourselves, and to safeguard our loved ones. A few minutes to set Fiji on the road to recovery. A few minutes to reconnect families and friends separated by closed borders. A few minutes to help bring life fully back to what it was,” Bainimarama said.
“For me, that choice is a no-brainer. That is why I’m getting vaccinated. I will be doing it for the tourism workers who want to be back in jobs they love. I will be doing it for the doctors and nurses who have spent weeks away from their families in quarantine centres treating ill patients. I will be doing it because it is what we all must do to defeat this pandemic once and for all.”
He reminded the public about the consequences of rejecting vaccines, pointing to the events that transpired in the region a few years ago that resulted in thousands contracting measles and some lives lost.
This batch of COVID 19 vaccines will go immediately towards protecting the remainder of our front liners, doctors, nurses, quarantine, hotel workers, and members of the Disciplined Forces. It will also kick-start the second phase of vaccine roll-out, which will include the more vulnerable segments of Fiji’s population.
Another shipment of 90,000 doses are expected to arrive in Fiji in the next few weeks.
