by Eulana Weekes
St Kitts and Nevis (WINN): Health officials on St. Kitts and Nevis are emphasising vaccination and non pharmaceutical measures to slow the increasing rate of infection related to the Coronavirus.
The COVID-19 Situation report is showing an upward trend in cases over the last few days. There were 65 active cases on Friday, June 24 and 71 active cases both on Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26. Currently, there are 87 active cases in the country dated Monday, June 27; 50 are recorded on St. Kitts and 37 on Nevis. Twenty-seven of the 87 active cases were identified within the previous 24 hours.
There was a long weekend of activities involving three nights of the St. Kitts Music Festival and White Sands thereafter. Speaking to WINN FM on Tuesday afternoon (June 28) Medical Chief of Staff at the Joseph N France General Hospital, Dr Cameron Wilkinson said, though mass events have been allowed for a while, he expects that events of such magnitude will cause a bump in COVID-19 cases. He added that the 27 new cases might just be a representation of that.
Dr. Wilkinson said with the St. Kitts Music Festival and White Sands being adult only events, the high vaccination coverage in the adult population, along with individuals who have been infected by COVID-19 brings some level of immunity to the population. In this regard, the doctor is hopeful that the COVID-19 situation would be under control, where there is no hospitalisation or death.
At present, no one is hospitalised with COVID-19 in St. Kitts and Nevis. The infected as at present are either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. However, Wilkinson said that it is likely that other persons have the Coronavirus but have not been tested.
In addition, the Medical Doctor said the COVID-19 vaccination drive has not stopped and therefore encouraged individuals to get vaccinated if they have not yet done so. In St Kitts and Nevis, 78.6 percent of adults are fully vaccinated, which Wilkinson describes as a “tremendous accomplishment.” In the case of children between the ages of 12 and 17 in the Federation, 18.4 percent are vaccinated against COVID-19. The doctor is of the view that because the children in St. Kitts and Nevis have not been adversely affected by COVID-19, they are not showing up in their numbers to be vaccinated.
As of Monday (June 27), 26,834 individuals in St. Kitts and Nevis have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 3,456 persons have been boosted.
