Editorial
On Monday 24th May 2021, Reuters carried a report about the growing COVID-19 crisis in Osaka, Japan: hospitals buckling under a huge wave of new infections, running out of beds and ventilators as exhausted doctors warned of a “system collapse.” Only 14% of COVID-19 patients in the prefecture had been hospitalised, leaving the majority to fend for themselves. The director of Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University Hospital warned: “I believe that until now many young people thought they were invincible. But that can’t be the case this time around. Everyone is equally bearing the risk.”
Japan, like St. Kitts and Nevis, had managed to avoid a large number of infections — but this fourth wave quite suddenly overtook Osaka with more than 3,800 new positive tests in less than one week. The rapid collapse of Osaka’s healthcare system is indicative of the grave dangers posed by COVID-19 and the importance of maintaining trust between the public and those who govern. That the vast majority of our people do not trust our government makes our task much more difficult. Nevertheless, for the sake of our nation and generations yet to come, we need to make the best of our situation and do whatever we can to prevent St. Kitts and Nevis from slipping further. Let us learn from the experiences of others.