The UK has sent Covid-19 vaccines to nine British Overseas Territories so far; Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena, and the Turks & Caicos.
Bermuda Received Two Shipments Last Month
Bermuda’s first batch of 9,750 doses arrived on January 8th, and the second allotment of 19,500 doses arrived on January 29th.
“The provision and transportation of these vaccines and equipment have been provided at no cost to the people of Bermuda,” Bermuda’s Governor Rena Lalgie previously said. “The UK Government remains committed to assisting its Overseas Territories in their fight against Covid-19.”
Comments In British Parliament
During a recent session in British Parliament, Conservative MP John Lamont asked the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, “how the UK is assisting the Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies with the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine.”
In response, Minister of State Nigel Adams said, “The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, together with Public Health England, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the UK Vaccine Taskforce, are coordinating the deployment of vaccines to the Overseas Territories.
“Vaccines have so far been delivered to Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
“The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office is currently finalising plans to deliver vaccines to the other inhabited Overseas Territories. Public Health England is coordinating the deliveries to the Crown Dependencies, the governments of which are taking forward the distribution of vaccine in their respective jurisdictions.”
According to a UK Parliamentary report, the permanently inhabited overseas territories [Anguilla, Bermuda, BVI, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, and the Turks & Caicos] have a combined population of around 250,000 people.
