By Monday, 3,188 Islanders had already received their first vaccination jab, and just Israel and Bahrain ranked higher in terms of percentage of population according to statistics produced by the Our World in Data website.
Israel had vaccinated just over 14% of its population, the website reported, ahead of Bahrain with 3.62%. Jersey’s tally of just over 3% was ahead of the next highest-ranked jurisdictions: Iceland (1.43%), the UK (1.39%) and USA (1.38%).
The next phase of the vaccination programme kicks off today when over-80s can book appointments either through the government’s online portal – gov.je/vaccine – or by calling the coronavirus helpline on 445566.
An estimated 4,000 over-80s are eligible, and appointments can also be made for couples where one person is aged over 80 and the other is between 75 and 79.
Health Minister Richard Renouf said: ‘This is another important step in protecting older Islanders from Covid-19.
‘I would like to encourage everyone to make sure their relatives, friends and neighbours who are 80 years old and over know about the vaccine slots, book them as soon as possible and attend their appointments. We need a community effort to protect these Islanders.’
All the vaccines administered so far have been from the Pfizer BioNTech product approved for use in early December. However, the Island is also expecting its first delivery of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, which gained regulatory approval on 30 December.
Stocks of the Pfizer vaccine will be used for the over-80s who are next in line, although new guidance means that anyone receiving their first dose of the vaccine will need to wait around ten weeks until their second dose. Previous groups are being given two doses, three weeks apart.
Those attending vaccination appointments will need to bring documentation including proof of address and date of birth. Masks must be work, and ‘warm but loose’ clothing is recommended so that the vaccine can be administered to the upper arm.
The government has confirmed that regular statistics regarding vaccinations will be published regularly so that Islanders can track the progress of the roll-out.
