By: Precious Mills
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS (Wednesday 10th November, 2021) — With daily travels to St. Kitts-Nevis leading up to the Christmas and Carnival season, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Hazel Laws is encouraging everyone to do their part in preventing a fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic because the risk is “very real.”
“Ladies and gentlemen there is no room for complacency at this time. Complacency is not an option. So yes our numbers might be down however, please note that our borders are open,” she cautioned during her presentation at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Daily Briefing held on Wednesday 10th November, 2021.
Dr. Laws noted that flights have started from 2nd November from hotspots in the US and Europe. “We are now receiving daily flights, commercial flights are coming in daily. We note an increase in the number of cruise ships that are docking and this would continue for the rest of the year and we are approaching Christmas and Carnival, and so we are going to see an increase in traffic in terms of inbound travellers and so the risk of a fourth wave is very real.”
She listed Anguilla, Barbados, Belize, Bonaire, Cayman Islands and Dominica as territories currently experiencing an increase in cases, and noted that “the virus is circulating in the Caribbean region, and it’s circulating globally as the pandemic continues.” She also cited projections of up to 500,000 additional deaths in Europe between then and February 2022.
Dr. Laws said vaccination is “our best weapon” and pointed out that the total population fully vaccinated had reached 52.3%, which she called “an achievement.” The breakdown showed 77.6% of the adult population had received the first dose with 73.3% having the second dose; for children 12 to 17 years old, 12.8% had gotten the first dose and 9.8% were fully vaccinated. The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) acknowledged St. Kitts-Nevis as the first independent territory in the Caribbean sub-region to cross the WHO 40% vaccination benchmark.
Wearing face masks and hand sanitization were also listed as additional measures to help prevent the fourth wave, along with careful maintenance of social distancing as the federation enters the holiday season with open borders.