Basseterre, St. Kitts (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has adopted two broad strategies in an effort to combat the Covid-19 virus and ensure the safety and security of citizens and residents of the Federation, according to Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Hazel Laws during NEOC’s COVID-19 weekly briefing on May 12, 2021.
“We aim to minimize the risk of exposure to the SARS-CoV 2 Virus. So, all of our health and travel protocols and surveillance efforts are all in an attempt to minimize the risk of exposure to the virus…. Our aim is also to reach the herd immunity threshold. We aim to vaccinate the adults in our population, and adults make up 70% of our total population,” said CMO Laws.
CMO Laws also indicated during the briefing that citizens and residents of the Federation must take every opportunity available to be vaccinated, emphasizing that the current batch of vaccines secured by the government from COVAX will expire at the end of June 2021.
A new development has also surfaced, with CMO Laws reporting that global studies have concluded that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine being administered by health professionals across the Federation is safe for breastfeeding and lactating women, but not pregnant women.
“This vaccine, the Oxford-AstraZeneca, can be offered to breastfeeding and lactating women. Please note that it is not a live virus vaccine, and by extension, it is biologically and clinically unlikely to pose a risk to the breastfeeding child,” said CMO Laws.
As of May 12, 2021, a total of 15, 567 persons have been vaccinated in an effort to combat the COVID-19 virus, with no deaths being recorded. 11, 858 doses have been administered on St. Kitts while 3, 709 doses have been dispensed on Nevis. 1, 746 persons have received their second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. A further 705 persons are currently quarantined across the Federation with the majority of persons being returning Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine students.
