BVI News

BVI may be victim of its own success in COVID-19 fight

From left: UK Healthcare Ambassador to the Overseas Territories, Professor Ian Cumming, Chief Medical Officer Dr Irad Potter, and Health Minister Carvin Malone. (Photo provided)

The BVI’s prowess in managing the COVID-19 virus so far may lead to it becoming a victim of its own success, UK Healthcare Ambassador to the Overseas Territories, Professor Ian Cumming has indicated.

Through Professor Cumming’s visit, the BVI is receiving much-needed additional support in its vaccination efforts against the debilitating COVID-19 virus that has brought the local economy to a virtual standstill.

Speaking as a guest on the Honestly Speaking radio show on Tuesday, Professor Cumming said the BVI has done a good job — both on the health front and with its borders — in mitigating the spread of the virus in the territory.

However, Professor Cumming said persons in the territory have a low perception of the risk of the spread of COVID and the resulting illnesses that accompany that spread.

Alongside this concern, he said there is an inaccurate high perceived risk associated with taking the vaccine.

This can be seen particularly among persons who have declined to take the COVID-19 jab.

“We don’t want the virus to be what actually causes persons to take the vaccine,” Professor Cumming said.

Safer to have vaccine than to catch COVID-19

Cumming said while there is a slight risk with the vaccines, much like with many other things we do in healthcare, it is much safer to have the vaccine than to catch COVID.

He added that the BVI has also benefitted from a stroke of luck along the way. “It’s a combination of luck, good planning, and good management,” Cumming said.

The Professor pointed to places such as Anguilla, St Kitts & Nevis, Turks & Caicos, Bermuda, and Trinidad & Tobago. He drew a contrast to their recent outbreaks with the BVI’s experience with the pandemic so far.

“This disease can and does kill. I’ve seen it kill in Gibraltar where they had 60 or 70 people die in January or February when the virus got into the nursing and residential homes sector,” the Healthcare Ambassador said.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Irad Potter said Professor Cumming’s visit will assist with providing more information and answering questions from residents, as needed, given the territory’s current situation with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

More than 12,000 first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered so far.

The BVI has experienced one death since the onset of the pandemic. As of June 7, there are three active cases, 295 recorded cases overall, and 291 recoveries.        

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18 Comments

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  1. Beach Minister says:

    All he good for is chilling on the beach and posting crap on Facebook

    Like 15
    Dislike 7
  2. Teacher says:

    With 99.8 percentage recover rate from covid 19 why do we need this Vaccine ????????

    Like 25
    Dislike 16
    • Teenager thinking says:

      You sound like a teenager with that thinking. You’re so sure you would be in the 99.8% side? Remember that number includes white people who are more likely to be in the 99.8%. In NYC, their number was closer to 70% recovered from Covid, with Blacks making the majority of the 30% of the hospitalized and dead. Also, look up the long term effects of Covid. The two shots are worth avoiding that alone.

      Like 10
      Dislike 4
      • Disinformation says:

        No mention of the damage being done to peoples health or the deaths from this experimental medical procedure.

        Like 5
        Dislike 4
        • Love BVI says:

          No mention because it’s not true . I invite you to correct me if you wish with a link to the information source.

          Like 6
          Dislike 1
      • NotaSheep says:

        What about the young man who died after the second vaccine that the news isn’t talking about? What about all the asymptomatic positives in the community who didn’t travel and weren’t sick? Just a few found because of a few routine tests but in reality what perfect of the population has antibodies?? Do the science you so worship and see what is the truth about recovery and natural immunity instead of being so fast to drink Pharmas kool aid.

        Like 4
        Dislike 2
  3. Genesis says:

    BVI is only the victim of its own success because of the hatred some bvislanders spew in the air. It shows you all when you saving a serpent from dying it will kill you. It like some people enjoy doing evil. Them probably don’t know better cause they believe they doing good.

    Like 5
    Dislike 8
    • @Genesis says:

      “It like some people enjoy doing evil. Them probably don’t know better cause they believe they doing good.”

      Your words are so true, on all levels, and in all prefessions. When you are bitten by snake, you know of its bite.

      We Black VIslanders are our own greatest oppressors and killers. Why do we tolerate such?

      Like 1
      Dislike 1
  4. Deaf & blind says:

    Prof. Cumming’s statements are absolutely correct as they fall upon the deaf ears and blind eyes of the vaccine hesitant BVI population. No worries though time and this relentless virus will eventually solve the problem.

    Like 12
    Dislike 8
  5. rastarite says:

    Too much negative commentary on social media about the dangers of the vaccine and conspiracy theories – all false. The success of the vaccine is irrefutable. ER rooms in UK hospitals almost empty of CV cases… Look at the statistics

    Like 22
    Dislike 4
    • Tongue Fu says:

      @Rastarite

      Must be an attempt at sarcasm with that handle. Rasta would never approve of vaccines.

      Please present your irrefutable evidence? If you are using UK as an example it is very difficult to make a proper assessment of the effect of the vaccinations as it was accompanied with a national shutdown in England that basically curbed the spread and decreased hospitalizations. Now that the shutdown is being relaxed we will get a better picture in 5- 6 months. There is already talk of the Delta variant being resistant to the vaccines. We will see how it goes in fall/winter.

      Now in regards to the dangers of the vaccine so sad that you would trivialize the fact that persons have died as a result of this experimental vaccine. Those who have died due to blood clots may well be in the minority but nevertheless they died and should be counted as they were part of the great Experiment. Now young teenagers are being diagnosed with myocarditis yet you say the dangers are not real?

      https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-sees-probable-link-between-pfizer-vaccine-small-number-myocarditis-cases-2021-06-01/

      Add to that we are yet to really know the medium to long term effects of these experimental vaccine on people who take it or how long it provides immunity. You may well need another shot in the next 6-12 months.

      Like 4
      Dislike 1
  6. Simple says:

    Blacks die from this 2x whiteys. Kill yourself proudly with a conspiracy theory and ignorance.

    Like 5
    Dislike 4
    • @simple says:

      Blacks do not die because CV affects them differently than other races and whites.

      Blacks die fro CV inhigher numbers than those groups because of the following facts/truths/realities:

      1) Institutionalzed racism and discrimination.

      2) Inadequate access to health care.

      3) Inadequate care and treatment once inside most medical institutions due to racial prejudice.

      4) Unavailability and unaffordability of medical insurance in all Black communties in the developed countries due to economic arparthied of those communities…

      And there are more, but those are the real killers of Black people in the medical world.

      Like 9
      Dislike 1
    • Count again says:

      Black who died of Covid in the BVI – 0
      Blacks who died of AstraZeneca – 3? 4? 6? Tell us! Stop hiding the truth.

      Like 2
      Dislike 1
  7. John Wayne Gacy says:

    However, Professor Cumming said persons in the territory have a low perception of the risk of the spread of COVID and the resulting illnesses that accompany that spread.

    I hate when they come with this settler mentality. What freaking low perception this clown talking about?

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