Lockdowns and closures can’t continue — Dr Georges
Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Ronald Georges has cautioned residents about the need for maintaining strict adherence to established public health protocols, warning that lockdowns and business closures cannot continue as a means of staving off the spread of COVID-19.
He insisted that current health protocols in place to combat the virus – mask-wearing, social distancing, hand washing, cough etiquette and hand hygiene – continue to work and are the very basic things that everyone needs to do.
“We can’t continue to have lockdowns and closures and all of these things. We have to live, we have an economy that we have to sustain,” the CMO said.
According to Dr Georges, COVID is obviously not going away and has been a constant battle.
He advised that while the virus continues to mutate and develop new variants, vaccination is another key tool to battle the virus.
Gov’t put responsibility back on population
With government relaxing measures and now allowing some businesses to reopen, Dr Georges said this will increase gathering sizes.
“What this is doing, is we are putting the responsibility back to the population,” he said.
Despite this, he reminded persons that officials will continue to be stepping up enforcement measures.
According to Health Minister Carvin Malone, these will include the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force and the Social Distancing Task Force conducting spot-checks at business establishments.
Vaccination effectiveness
The CMO also noted that there was a considerable body of evidence available on the effectiveness of vaccination and how it is able to reduce hospitalisation, severe disease and death as well as reducing the burden of disease.
He also pointed to evidence that shows the vaccine significantly reduces the rates of transmission – despite the fact that persons can still get sick and transmit COVID-19 if vaccinated.
Dr Georges said the probability of transmission is reduced by as much as 75% for persons who are vaccinated.
Further, the probability of becoming sick – contracting a mild illness – is reduced by as much as 60-90 percent for vaccinated persons depending on the vaccine and the dosing schedule, Dr Georges said.
He said officials are trying to get to a stage where the virus can no longer be propagated within the territory and this can best be done through vaccination efforts being layered with existing public health measures.
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Has Dr Georges reviewed the recent stats from CDC re transmissibilty in vaccinated for Delta variant??? Doesn’t seem to make a difference.
As I understand it while delta is still transmissible, vaccines reduce the length of time someone with a breakthrough infection is actually spreading. It also reduces symptoms if you do get sick, preventing the hospital from being overwhelmed.
Fun Fact: As of May 1, the CDC does not record “breakthrough” cases unless they are critically ill. So the actual number of breakthrough cases are grossly undercounted, allowing the CDC to maintain that breakthrough cases are “rare” when in fact they’re not.
A second wave is inevitable. Every country that comes out of lockdown has a second wave. It is nearly always worse than the first.
For the unvaccinated; do not believe that you are somehow safe because you escaped the first wave. You were just lucky..
But your luck cannot last forever.
Don’t play Russian Roulette with this virus.
Get vaccinated.
We have to be Optimistic, speak with optimism, Each person has to take responsibility for their own safety by doing the right thing and when that is done everyone will feel safe, Then we can march on..