SINT MAARTEN (CAY HILL) – On Monday March 15th, the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) began the second round of its COVID-19 vaccination drive. The drive, which includes staff from SMMC, the Ambulance Department, CPS, St. Maarten Laboratory Services (SLS) and Cay Hill Pharmacy, aims to vaccinate healthcare workers to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19, safeguarding and ensuring the continuity of care within the hospital and at other healthcare institutions.
SMMC began vaccinations on Monday February 22nd and has vaccinated approximately 480 persons to date, with more registering every day. SMMC is also proud to announce that a number of departments within the hospital, including the Medical Specialists, Emergency Room Department and the Operating Room have a 90% or higher vaccination rate. Among the staff vaccinated, only mild side-effects were observed such as soreness at the injection site and fatigue, which typically subsided in 24 hours.
“I am extremely proud of the staff here at SMMC who have made the conscious decision to be vaccinated. They recognize that being healthcare workers, the choice to vaccinate is not solely based on protecting themselves but also protecting their families at home and protecting our patients here in the hospital”, said Dr. Felix Holiday, Medical Director and Outbreak Management Team Chairman.
“Today I had the privilege of receiving my second vaccination and can now say that I am fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Being fully vaccinated does not mean I am immune to contracting the virus however it means that my chance of contracting severe COVID-19 disease is significantly lower. I am once again urging and encouraging all of our staff and the general public to register to be vaccinated against COVID-19”, Dr. Holiday concluded.
SMMC thanks their staff, AMI Expeditionary Healthcare, Cay Hill Pharmacy, the Vaccination Management Team, CPS, the Government of St. Maarten, the Government of the Netherlands and the Police Force of St. Maarten for their contributions in making the vaccination administration a success. SMMC also encourages the public to sign up to receive the vaccine via https://bit.ly/3tOsJLa or using a form that can be collected at CPS at the Vineyard Building, the Division of Labor Affairs public service center in Simpson Bay or at the Government Administration Building.
