Around 20, 400 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in the country through the COVAX Facility. Moderna will be the fourth vaccine to be used in Vanuatu, apart from AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and the single-shot Johnson and Johnson (J&J). Health workers at high risk of exposure and older people should be prioritized for vaccination, including eligible adult citizens throughout the country.

The Moderna vaccine has been shown to have an efficacy of approximately 94.1 per cent in protecting against COVID-19. Vaccine effectiveness against new variants of concern such as Delta and Omicron is relatively well maintained against severe disease. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Moderna can be a booster dose and requires 4 – 6 months after completion of the primary vaccination series.

According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), the vaccines will initially be used as booster shots and later be administered to the adolescent population. The Council of Ministers (COM) has approved for the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine to be used for adolescents, age 12 to 17 which are subject to parents approval on whether their children can get vaccinated or not.

In the meantime, Vanuatu Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (VFIPA) encourage businesses to continue to maintain public health measures at the working environment by applying physical distancing, handwashing, wearing marks at all time, respiratory and cough hygiene and avoiding crowds. Applying these measures will give confidence to customers and workers for a better and safely workplace.