Black people are more likely to die from Covid-19 than White people if present vaccination trends continue, the Premier warned last night.

David Burt made the stark prediction as he confirmed that vaccination rates among the Black population “significantly trail” those of Whites.

Mr Burt said: “Around the world, Black people have worse health outcomes than Whites.

“Why? As they have less access to healthcare.

“In Bermuda, our goal is to ensure that all people are protected from a disease that has seen 12 residents – mostly Black people – die.”

He added: “If current vaccination trends in Bermuda hold, Black persons will be far more likely to develop serious diseases if exposed to the coronavirus as their vaccination rates significantly trail the White population.

“Sadly, the outcome of less Black people getting vaccinated will be the increased likelihood of more Black people dying.”

Mr Burt also took aim at Milton Brown, an American doctor, who raised questions about the safety of the vaccine in an interview broadcast several times by radio station Magic 102.7.

He said: “In Bermuda, we do not control or muzzle the media, so people are welcome to publish and broadcast their opinions.”

But Mr Burt added: “I ask people to speak to their actual local doctor and not make this important decision by listening to a doctor from overseas on the radio.

“This vaccine is 95 per cent effective in preventing serious disease from a coronavirus infection.”

Mr Burt insisted: “People should speak to their own medical doctor for advice instead of listening to talk radio.

“It is unfortunate that there are many in the community that wish to discourage persons from making a decision that should be between them and their doctor.

“I am grateful that the vast majority of local doctors have taken the vaccine and have encouraged their patients to do so too, as they trust science.”

The news came as staff shortages led to delays at the Government’s vaccination centre at Prospect on Thursday and the vaccination phone hotline had to shut down after it was swamped by calls.

But a Ministry of Health spokeswoman said last night the staff shortages had been resolved.

The spokeswoman added that between three and six nurses administered the vaccine yesterday and that there were no delays.

The spokeswoman also insisted that enough staff will be on hand to man a second Government vaccination centre scheduled to open soon. Details on that centre remain under wraps.

But the vaccine telephone hotline was expected to remain out of commission until next week.

The spokeswoman said: “The repairs to the vaccine hotline are being made early next week.

“We pinpointed the problem yesterday and will remedy as soon as technically possible.”

She added: “We apologise for delays that were experienced on Thursday.

“We are committed to learning from all experiences and to implement improvements to our processes.

“The most important thing to note is that over 6,000 vaccine doses have been administered and this is great progress for Bermuda.”

The latest test results showed no change in the number of active cases on the island, which remained at ten.

A total of 351 test results came back to health officials today and all were clear.

For information on vaccines and how the Covid-19 vaccination will be administered, as well as for frequently asked questions on the vaccine, visit www.gov.bm/vaccines.

The Covid-19 vaccination registration form is offline at present, but will be available again from next Monday morning.