Everyone looks forward to living without the COVID-19 measures and restrictions. Vaccination is a major step towards achieving this goal.
Vaccination in St. Eustatius started in February 2021. St. Eustatius uses the Moderna vaccines from the Netherlands. A widely approved and thoroughly tested vaccine like Moderna will give you the best protection against the coronavirus, which will enable us to pick up live as it was.
Please find more information about the COVID-19 vaccination in the most frequently asked questions (below).
For additional questions, please contact the Public Health Department at :
T: 3182891 or send an e-mail to info.covid19@statiagov.com
Frequently Asked Questions - updated February 5, 2021.
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Statia starts on February 22, 2021. During the period of one week the first doses of the Moderna vaccine will be given to the residents that have registered. The second dose will be given four (4) weeks later.
Vaccination will be conducted at a central location and will last up to 1 week, starting on February 22nd, 2021. Everyone who registered for the vaccination and who is eligible, will be vaccinated. The second dose of the vaccine will be given 4 weeks later.
The health department of St. Eustatius will receive 1600 Moderna vaccines from the Netherlands (this is the first shipment).
It is already possible to register yourself to get the vaccine.
This can be done by:
Filling in the registration form and sending it via email to: vaccinationregistration@statiagov.com. Download the form.
Sending the form by Whatsapp to +599 318-5146
Call +599 318-5146
Filling in the form (hard copy) at the Hospital, Pharmacy and Public Health.
Getting a vaccine against COVID-19 is a way to protect yourself and your family, friends, and colleagues, as well as any vulnerable persons around you and indeed the whole island.
If many people are vaccinated, coronavirus cannot spread unchecked. Fewer measures will then be necessary to ensure the virus is contained. Also, everything will get back to normal.
Everyone above the age of 18 years except pregnant women and persons with severe allergies.
The vaccines have been tested on tens of thousands of people. However, for the following groups it has yet to be determined if the vaccine is safe: children, youth under 18 years’ old, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with a history of severe allergies.
There is no evidence that it is unsafe if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. But more evidence is needed before the Public Health Department will offer you the vaccine.
The more people are vaccinated, the lesser the chance for the virus to circulate.
When 70 to 85% of the community is vaccinated, we will have herd immunity.
This means that the level of the virus circulating is so low that it is less of a threat. Those who are not vaccinated (e.g. children under 18 years and pregnant women) are therefore better protected.
The COVID-19 vaccine is given as an injection into your upper arm. It is given as 2 doses, 4 weeks apart.
The COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you from getting COVID-19. You may have some side effects, which are normal signs that your body is building protection. These side effects may affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days.
Residents that are vaccinated will not be required to go into quarantine when returning to Statia from abroad. With regards to traveling all over the world, travel and quarantine requirements will vary in each country. Please check the relevant websites of the country you are traveling to.
The vaccines developed by Moderna have received approval for use in the European Union, and hence The Netherlands including Statia. For approval, vaccines have to meet strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the independent European Medicines Agency (EMA). Any coronavirus vaccine that is approved must go through all the clinical trials and safety checks all other licensed medicines go through. The EMA follows international standards of safety. Other vaccines are being developed. They will only be available in The Netherlands once they have been thoroughly tested to make sure they are safe and effective. So far, millions of people have been given a COVID-19 vaccine and reports of serious side effects, such as allergic reactions, have been very rare.
No. None of the COVID-19 vaccines contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. A COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19.
After having both doses of the vaccine most people will be protected against coronavirus. It takes a few weeks after getting the 2nd dose for it to work. There is little chance you might still get coronavirus when you had the vaccination.
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has been carefully evaluated in clinical trials and was approved only because it is substantially less likely you’ll get COVID-19. Experts believe that getting a COVID-19 vaccine may also help keep you from getting seriously ill even if you do get COVID-19. Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
No, but we highly advise to do so for your own safety and that of your family and other loved ones. And for the safety of the entire community of Statia. Also, when many persons are vaccinated, the government can choose to scale down the travel and quarantine restrictions so we can all get more of our freedom back.
Most side effects are mild and should not last longer than a week, such as:
A sore arm where the needle was entered
Feeling tired
A headache
Feeling achy
You can take painkillers, such as paracetamol, if you need to. If you have a high temperature you might have another infection. If your symptoms get worse or you are worried, please call the Queen Beatrix Medical Center.
Please inform the healthcare staff (before you are vaccinated) if you ever had a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). You should not have the vaccine if you ever had a serious allergic reaction to medicines, vaccines or food. If you do have an allergic reaction to the vaccine, it usually happens in minutes. Staff giving the vaccine are trained to deal with allergic reactions and treat them immediately.
Yes, you do. Please register for the vaccination.
Yes, you do. Please register for the vaccination.
Yes, you do. Please register for the vaccination.
Yes, you do. Please register for the vaccination.
Yes, you do. Please register for the vaccination.
Although we strongly advise you to get vaccinated, we understand if you decide not to get vaccinated for your own personal reasons. In this case, please maintain adherence to all the health and safety measures. Wear a face mask at all times, keep social distance at all times, and wash your hands frequently and/or use hand sanitizer.
Yes. If you work and live on the island you can get vaccinated. You have to follow the same procedure for registration for vaccination through the given options.
No. As a tourist you cannot get vaccinated in Statia.
You will get a certificate of vaccination. This can be attached to your vaccination booklet.
The vaccination is free of charge.
COVID-19 can have serious, life-threatening complications, and there is no way to know how COVID-19 will affect you. If you get infected, you could spread the disease to friends, family and others around you. Clinical trials of all vaccines must first show they are safe and effective before any vaccine can be authorized or approved for use, including COVID-19 vaccines. The known and potential benefits of a COVID-19 vaccine must outweigh the known and potential risks of the vaccine for use.
Getting COVID-19 may offer some natural protection, known as immunity. Current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the 90 days after initial infection. However, experts don’t know for sure how long this protection lasts, and the risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you by creating an antibody (immune system) response without having to experience sickness.
Wearing face masks and keeping social distancing help reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or spreading it to others, but these measures are not enough. Vaccines will work with your immune system so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed.
The combination of getting vaccinated and following health safety recommendations to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from COVID-19.
Stopping a pandemic requires using all the tools we have available. The COVID-19 vaccination will help reduce spread of the disease.
When you have not registered yourself yet for the vaccination, please do this as soon as possible.
