Land Marine ‘very satisfied’ with first vaccination drive |21 January 2021

A Land Marine staff member receiving his vaccine

The managing director of Land Marine Ltd, Hughes Adam, has said that the stevedoring and shore-handling company is “very satisfied” with its first Covid-19 vaccination drive.

The vaccination programme was rolled out at the Land Marine clinic, at New Port, between Thursday, January 14 and Monday January 18.

According to data gathered by the company, 71% of Land Marine’s full-time staff received their first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine during the first drive, representing 212 employees out of a total of 297.

Land Marine’s clinic was operating with the assistance of health workers from the Ministry of Health, and was administering vaccines to other persons outside of the company such as port authority staff. In total, the clinic inoculated 498 persons.

Land Marine also saw to the vaccination of 54% (39) of its casual labourers or stevedores, while the remaining 46% (33 stevedores) were categorised as undecided and are yet to be vaccinated.

Nine out of 11 prison inmates who are employed with Land Marine also took their first Covid-19 jabs at the clinic.

Among its full-time employees, Land Marine recorded 20 staff members (7%) who were above 60 years and hence were ineligible for the Sinopharm vaccine.

Another two (1%) could not take the vaccine due to medical issues, 17 of its expatriate staff members were overseas and 15%, representing 46 staff, were undecided.

“We are very satisfied with the way the vaccination programme went, since we were able to vaccinate over 70% of our employees although we would have wished for more,” noted Mr Adam.

He added that the company is anticipating recording a higher turnout for the second vaccine drive to be held in 2 to 4 weeks’ time, with the hope that additional vaccine brands would have reached the country.

This would allow Land Marine employees who are over 60 or faced with medical issues to also receive the vaccine, and hopefully those who were undecided would have made up their minds by then.

According to Mr Adam, Land Marine has hiked up its Covid-19 safety measures since Seychelles recorded some of its first cases last year.

The measures include regular cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces, and providing protective gears such as masks to their employees.

At present, the company is driving its employees to and from work instead of them taking public transport, in order to limit their contact with persons outside of their workplace.

Land Marine had not recorded any Covid-19 positive cases among its workforce – although 3 persons were isolated due to Covid-19 contacts outside of work – and Mr Adam said that he hopes this remains the same.

Elsie Pointe