Covid-19 vaccination in Gibraltar: A success story for other countries to follow

Gibraltar is a small overseas British territory that has been hit by the Covid-19 virus and managed to implement a successful vaccination program.

Although a tiny minority of people refused to be vaccinated, this fact has not affected the overall success of the program.

As a result, now, it can be officially and safely said that the health of the vast majority of the population of Gibraltar has been shielded against the virus, and activities can now go back to normal.

This is a big achievement for a small place like Gibraltar, and the fact should not be overlooked that the UK has played a big role in that, since Gibraltar is a British territory that actually followed the general vaccination schedule that was applied to the UK.

However, the high vaccination levels in Gibraltar also show that, in spite of a few Covid vaccination deniers, it is easier to achieve immunity in smaller regions than in bigger countries.

Gibraltar has shown the way for other countries to follow.

Let’s hope its case will prove to be successful in the long run, and the whole world returns to normality.

Doubts about the success of Gibraltar’s vaccination program

However, it’s in human nature to cast doubt, whether well- or ill-intentioned, even on hard facts, and this case is not an exception.

It was claimed that the vaccine should be blamed for 53 deaths that were recorded in Gibraltar over a 10-day period, that is, between the 10th of January 2021, when vaccination started, and the 20th of January 2021.

According to Reuters, however, and thanks to its Fact Check team, these claims are blatantly false and not based on any actual facts.

The spread of false news and claims by “experts” has been a big problem right from the onset of the disease and made things worse.

I believe that precious time and many lives have been lost due to the plague of poor and false information.

Therefore, readers should always double-check and cross-check any information they read online or offline, especially on topics as critical as the pandemic.

The key to Gibraltar’s success

In my opinion, the high level of organization that characterized Gibraltar’s vaccination program was the cornerstone of its success.

It was carried out literally with military precision, since the British military forces were heavily involved in the relevant transport operations for the vaccine to arrive and become available to the local population.

It is true that it is easier to organize and do things faster in smaller places with a population that is easy to manage, in terms of numbers, than in countries with a large territory and an equally large population, where decision-making can be very slow, to the point of not making any decisions at all.

Another point that should be stressed is the fact that, where political agreement and will are absent or undermined by opposing parties that fight endlessly with each other, it is inevitable for stagnation and lack of progress to dominate the landscape, because emphasis is placed on how to engage in conflict rather than overcome problems, survive, and prosper.

By definition, it can be difficult or even impossible for larger countries to reach a similar level of coordination and cooperation to that achieved in Gibraltar between the citizens and the government, and among the citizens themselves.

Perhaps, it would be much more practical to try to organize things on a micro level first, and results on a macro level would naturally follow.

As a conclusion, in order for other countries to be able to take advantage of Gibraltar’s successful model in the fight against the coronavirus, it would be a good idea to run small-scale vaccination programs, instead of trying to persuade the entire population to be vaccinated.

Sources and further reading:

Gibraltar looks to post-Covid era as vaccine drive nears completion

Gibraltar

Fast check: Vaccine not linked to COVID-19 deaths in Gibraltar

Gibraltar, a vaccine champion, launches "Operation Freedom"

Gibraltar slowly returns to pre-pandemic normality