From the outset, HRPAB advocated strongly for companies to establish vaccination education programmes. Why? Because informed employees make better choices. We note with interest that the national conversation is shifting to the national vaccination program and even as this plan rolled out to include education and information campaigns on the benefits of being vaccinated, we still have employees who are vaccine hesitant. The debate is raging on social media and some uninformed persons are sharing and promoting the anti-vaccination campaigns. More than one group has been formed to discuss vaccine development and possible side effects.
It has been a year since our first reported case of Covid-19 here in Antigua and Barbuda and there is COVID fatigue. Polling conducted by Survey Monkey in January of this year shows that one in eight Americans say they will never get the vaccine while 59 percent say they would get it right away. While we have no local polling data, we have seen the long lines of people eager to get the jab and the health authorities have reported that as of March 8, 16,075 persons had been inoculated since the vaccination programme started on February17 with health workers, then government dignitaries and national safety personnel before being rolled out to the general public on March 1.
The national plan is to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating at least 80 percent of the population. Our Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, is on record as saying that the priority is to protect lives and livelihoods by getting our people inoculated so that our economy can return to normality. We received 40,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine from the Government of India and earlier 5,000 doses from the Government of Dominica. Twenty thousand persons will be vaccinated during this first round, and it is expected that this target will be reached before the end of this week. There are not enough vaccines on island presently to achieve the 80 percent goal, so as we await the arrival of more vaccines, what can we do to help?
We need to ensure that we are armed with information from trusted sources. We need to continue to listen to employees’ concerns and make as much information as possible available to them. Currently there are many opportunities on social media, state media and other national sources to get this information from our own medical professionals and technicians. The Ministry of Health has rolled out its educational campaign, starting with Public Service Announcements from well-known Antiguans and Barbudans and key persons in the community. Without presenting any particular side of the vaccine or no debate, we need to ensure that all our employees have the information they need to make this decision for themselves.
What should your in-house vaccine education program contain?
A history of vaccines and how they work. This would offer some understanding on how vaccines are developed and tested for safety and efficacy.
The various types of vaccine options that currently exist, how they compare as far as accessibility, availability, efficacy and cost.
Detailed information on the Oxford AstraZenecaVaccine as that is the vaccine that will be available to us, at least for the time being.
Possible side effects and adverse reactions especially for persons with certain medical conditions and allergies.
Person who should not take the vaccines or at least seek advice from their medical doctor before doing so.
To be clear: HRPAB is not advocating at this time that taking the vaccine should be mandatory for any employee, or as a condition of continued employment. While we agree and accept that a vaccinated population will lead to a reopening of our economies and a move to normality, we still hold strongly to the view that this must remain a matter of personal choice and conviction.
The Human Resource Professionals of Antigua and Barbuda (HRPAB) is a registered non-profit, professional association dedicated to the advancement of the HR profession for national development. We began informally from 2009 and legally registered in 2011. HRPAB’s growing membership represents private and public organizations as well as independent consultants specializing in one or more areas of human resource management and development. Membership is offered for three categories: professional, non-professional, and honorary. You may contact us via email at hrpro.ab@gmail.com or on Facebook and Instagram @HRPro268
