Officials soon to say if delta variant is in BVI
Health Minister Carvin Malone said a confirmation will be made shortly as to whether the dreaded and deadly delta variant of COVID-19 is present in the BVI.
When news of the current COVID-19 upsurge first spread, health officials said it was strongly suspected the BVI had the delta variant. It sent samples to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) laboratories to confirm this.
According to Malone, the territory’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Ronald Georges has since received those sample results from CARPHA.
He cautioned, however, that there are some verifications being made at this time and said these need to be worked out before the results are made public.
“[Dr Georges] did get a particular genetic typing. He will have to make that particular announcement because there are going to be questions surrounding it,” Malone stated on the VIP’s Let’s Talk radio show last evening.
The Health Minister said he expects that the question of whether the variant is here will be answered either today or tomorrow (Thursday) at the latest.
Significantly, Malone warned that there is also a lambda variant of the coronavirus that has been detected elsewhere and he said this is a further sign that persons should “get their bodies ready”.
Health protocols continue to be flouted
Malone reported that persons continue to flout existing COVID-19 protocols such as social distancing, hand washing, and sanitising.
“The police department has been asked to take out their ticket books. We can’t put them at the prison because they might carry [the virus] into the prison, but the fines have been put on the books,” the Health Minister said.
To try to ensure compliance, persons are being fined as much as $5,000 for breaches of the protocols.
He said the rest of society should not have to suffer the fate of a lockdown because of a small few who are intent on not adhering to any of the protocols put in place.
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It will come as no surprise if it is confirmed that the delta variant of covid is circulating in the BVI.
That assumption is based on the rapidity of recent covid infections in the community and recent deaths in a short period.
Also, the delta variant is the most common variant now in the U.S (where many people are travelling from) and even the U.K.
It’s everywhere now, and taking a toll on the unvaccinated.
The more people remain unvaccinated, the more new and deadlier variants will emerge. Right now, a new variant Lamda has been detected in Texas where the un-vaccination rate is higher than many other states.
The only way to stop these deadly variants from developing is to make it harder for them to find a human body to do their deadly work. That is best achieved thru vaccination.
Based on what you are saying, i gather that the campaign and objective is against the non vaccinated. These variants pop up in places where people are non vaccinated. I will have to do some research as this seems interesting.
“i gather that the campaign and objective is against the non vaccinated.”
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I would not describe it as such..that is a campaign and objective against the non vaccinated.
To borrow your phrasing, the campaign is to bring the pandemic to an end. Vaccinated persons are less likely to be infected…very less so than an unvaccinated person.
In order for the virus to mutate, it has to have a host(human body) which it has infected. Un vaccinated persons serves as perfect hosts, and not only make a person very sick or cause their death, but can mutate to more dangerous variants.
That’s why the goal is to get as many people vaccinated as possible to first prevent illness and dying, but also to stop these deadly variants from occurring. That’s the only way this pandemic will be brought under control and we can get back to some sort of normal.
Try not to see it as some would like to as a campaign between the vaccinated and unvaccinated. As I indicated earlier, the people who are showing up in hospitals and dying in places like the US, U.K, and now the BVI are mostly unvaccinated persons. The unvaccinated are now driving the pandemic.
The virus loves them because they have no protection/defense to fight back and the virus can reck havoc on their bodies doing what it wishes without a fight.
Wow!
🙂
You said “The only way to stop these deadly variants from developing is to make it harder for them to find a human body to do their deadly work. That is best achieved thru vaccination.”
Where did you get your Facts?
Did you find the evidence to support what you may think is Highly likely. I am guessing that you are afraid and worried since you don’t know what you have let them put in your body. I completely understand why you are so mad at those who have the courage & patients to wait and see if this Vaccine is SAFE
The facts are pretty clear. The only rising cases in the US are among low vaccination states. The death rates in a country of 300 million people have gone from 4000/day to around 300. The announced deaths in the BVIs are as young as 30s and 40s. All preventable!
so we are still waiting 3 weeks into this and the results can’t come back yet?
It doesn’t really matter which variant it is.
The only protection is vaccination.
Open the old prison and lock them up there, most of them don’t have the means of paying the fines,the ones that can pay make them pay and the ones who cant pay lock them up.
sad…sad..
Is anyone checking if JVD & Anegada are adhering to the protocols? (Including bars closed & restaurants doing take-out only…).
Another day and still no lab confirmation of the delta variant in the BVI. Why does this process take so long?
if it was any faster the BVI would be closer to becoming a real place.
If the D variant is in the BVI then my fellow friends lock down must take place. You cant have your cake and yet want to eat it. We develop protocols for the businesses so they can operate during Covid times. Money has been spent by the various industries in the tourism sector but yet they must remain close. While that is happening, you allow people to space 6 ft apart at banks, restaurants (take outs) and at the grocery but they can’t sit down six feet apart and be served food. I don’t get it especially, when I can sit six feet apart in a bank. Why can’t a restaurant operate as normal?
We need to allow our actions and decisions to be consistent. Why adhere to CDC guidelines and yet when we experience a raise\spike in cases we halt the restaurants. Wont it makes sense to reduce acholic beverages that can cause bad decision making and increase task force and to ensure compliance by the business. Tell me, when there were low double digits, you lock down the country. How come we have close to 2k cases and there is no shut down or halt of internationally movement; but you close down the places the tourist came and see.
Next let’s talk about resources. If your hospital is experiencing a burden; where is the contingency plan for more ventilators and help for the health staff. I hope you aint working them and when pay day come you have issues paying them. I hope that there is some plan in place to replenish human resources as they are the key component of this equation.
Folks we have to control Covid and not let Covid control us. Until you folks see this, we will be jumping all over the place. Covid is real, and the system promoting taking the vaccine to save life and we get that. What we don’t get is your ignorance to implement rules that you put in place to follow.
All people trying to do is make sense of what is happening.
Lockdowns did not work. Sure for a year it worked, destroyed the economy and small business. As soon as you opened the territory with only 1/3 of the population vaccinated, the virus reappeared. Vaccination is the only way to get out of this.