 Every year around this time, the Pan-American Health Organization, PAHU and its partners celebrate Vaccination Week of the Americas. It is a time to raise the awareness of the importance of vaccines. This year, St. Lucia joins with the Americas to celebrate the 20th Vaccination Week of the Americas during the week April 23, 230F. Under the theme, are you fully vaccinated? Get all your shots. This year's Vaccination Week of the Americas campaign sets itself to close immunization gaps wherever or whoever they may be. The goal is to reach those who have not yet received the full benefits of routine immunizations or the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. The specific objectives of this year's campaign are, 1. Build trust and confidence in the safety and effectiveness of all vaccines. 2. Strengthen the scope and reach of the routine vaccination program during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. 3. Accelerate COVID-19 vaccination operations in all countries and territories of the Americas to achieve high national vaccination coverage rate with focus on all priority groups. The Pan-American Health Organization, PAHU, continues to recommend increasing and maintaining vaccination coverage of more than 95% of children aged 5 years and under in all countries, prioritizing districts and communities which report low coverage. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on health systems, especially the primary healthcare services, as they focus on responding to this emergency. However, it is essential that we continue to advocate and maintain focus on routine immunization. In 2021, many countries relaunched campaigns against measles, rubella and polio. At least eight countries are planning to do follow-up measles campaigns this year, aiming to protect more than 67 million children against these viruses. St. Lucia's expanded immunization program has yielded numerous successes since its commencement in 1977. The program is executed at the various wellness centers across the length and breadth of the island, as well as private sector pediatricians. The service is accessed by target groups via a range of delivery options, namely facility-based vaccination, house-to-house vaccination, school-based vaccination and community outreach. The service can also be accessed through private sector health facilities. Successes of the national expanded program on immunization include no reported cases of measles since 1990, the last case of rubella appeared in 1996, elimination of diphtheria, hemophilus, influenza and polio, immunization coverage for infants. Hepatitis B both introduced in November 2018 towards the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of Hepatitis B. Introduction of human papillomavirus vaccine to grade six children as a cancer prevention strategy. The introduction of COVID-19 vaccines to reduce the burden of COVID-19 on the population among so many other successes. I recognize all of our health workers, especially our immunization officers, our nurses, our nursing assistants, doctors and health aides. Let us get vaccinated against COVID-19 and let us continue our long tradition of vaccination. I thank you.