News Releases

UWI COVID-19 Vaccination Drive Underway

For Release Upon Receipt - July 19, 2021

St. Augustine


 Participants of The UWI St. Augustine Campus Mass Vaccination Drive await their COVID-19 vaccines at The UWI Inn and Conference Centre

The UWI St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago. Monday July 19, 2021 — Following a recent allocation of vaccines from the Ministry of Health, The University of the West Indies (The UWI) St. Augustine Campus has launched its vaccination drive for students and staff members against COVID-19. The exercise kicked off today, Monday – July 19 at The University Inn and Conference Centre, which has been designated as the Campus’ Vaccination Centre. Last week, staff and students were invited to book appointments.

 “I think we can finally begin to see some light at the end of this tunnel with the vaccination drives that are being conducted across Trinidad and Tobago, certainly with our own drive at the St. Augustine Campus that started today,” said Professor Indar Ramnarine, Deputy Campus Principal at The UWI St. Augustine. “UWI has joined the ranks of other professional organisations and civil society groups to launch mass vaccination drives alongside the national vaccination drive, all with the same aim: getting our citizens vaccinated,” Professor Ramnarine added.

In June, The UWI St. Augustine Campus began by offering vaccines to medical students so that they could continue their training and join frontline medical staff.  Given the latest allocation of vaccines, the Campus was able to formally launch the drive. Today, staff and students were notified that they could now book appointments for members of their family over 18. It is expected that the Campus will vaccinate around 6,000 persons this week.

“I want to say thank you to the members of our community who have already chosen to get vaccinated. Globally over 3 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered and The UWI St. Augustine is committed to doing our part to help get Trinidad and Tobago to a point of safety and comfort,” said Professor Ramnarine. He is urging all students and staff to get vaccinated, “When you choose to get vaccinated you are not only protecting yourself but also your families, neighbours, friends and our national community. Many questions have been voiced about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines but the shots that are being administered have been found to be effective in reducing the spread of the disease, but more importantly, they are very effective at preventing serious illness and hospitalization.”

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About The UWI

The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region.

From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Open Campus, and 10 global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.

Ranked among the top universities in the world, by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education, The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists. In 2020, it earned ‘Triple 1st’ rankings—topping the Caribbean; and in the top in the tables for Latin America and the Caribbean, and global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the top universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

For more, visit www.uwi.edu.

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

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