TRAVEL UPDATE – COVID19 VACCINES IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Work on the COVID vaccine has been thankfully quick, and there are a few variants being rolled out globally. Travelers are vital to the Dominican Republic, and getting vaccines to the island is an important part of helping visitors feel safe.

First Vaccine Delivery

The first vaccine delivery of 20,000 Oxford University-AstraZeneca was received in February. At the same time, an agreement was made with the Indian vaccine maker Serum Institute of India. They have license to produce the Oxford vaccine, and have been supporting the island with stock to make sure the island can keep to the vaccine schedule.

Dominican Republic Vaccine Schedule

The island is home to 7.8 million adults, and the plan is to have everyone vaccinated by the end of the year. There will be three phases to the rollout. Phase one provides coverage for over 50s, medical staff, other high risk adults and teachers. Phase one is scheduled to complete in July, and 2.7 million people will be vaccinated by the end of this phase.

COVID status in Dominican Republic

Currently new infections are decreasing in Dominican Republic, the last week saw only 396 new infections per day. There have been 675,000 vaccine doses distributed so far. The last week saw the island administering 46,303 vaccines to patients each day. In Punta Cana, the vaccines are being given at the Punta Cana international airport, and part of the airport has been reserved for the vaccination drive.

Vaccine Orders

The Dominican government have signed orders for the following vaccines:

100 Million AstraZeneca

8 Million Pfizer

768,000 Sinopharm

542,000 from the Global Vaccine Sharing Scheme COVAX

The vaccine schedule is running successfully so far, and it’s great news for the island and the millions of tourists who love to visit! The Dominican Republic have been praised for how they have been able to reopen tourism safely, and we’re pleased to see people enjoying our favorite destination even during these difficult times.

Do you have a trip to Punta Cana planned? Are you more likely to travel because of the vaccine schedule? Let us know in our Facebook Group!