Thirteen members of West Indies' red-ball training squad and management have received their vaccinations against Covid-19, CWI confirmed on Wednesday. The West Indies players and support staff are currently in a bio-secure bubble in St Lucia, preparing for the upcoming Test series against South Africa.

In a statement, CWI said that they were able to secure Covid-19 vaccines for "all interested squad members" through the support of the Ministry of Health and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

"Immunization is one of the most cost-effective public health measures in the management of infectious diseases," Dr. Sharon Belmar-George, St Lucia's chief medical officer, said. "Cricket is an important sporting activity in the region and ensuring that it can be facilitated safely, is of importance to us in St. Lucia. We welcome the teams here and look forward to successful and safe activities over the coming weeks."

Eleven players and support staff received their first dose of the vaccine, while two squad members also received their second dose. CWI stated that several members of the training squad had already received their first doses in their home countries, and will receive their second dose later in the summer. Last week, the West Indies women's squad had received their first doses of the vaccine while training in Antigua.

West Indies are scheduled to host South Africa for two Tests, as well as five T20Is next month.