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HERD IMMUNITY BY THE SUMMER: Health Minister issues upbeat forecast saying we’re near finish line

MINISTER of Health Renward Wells.

MINISTER of Health Renward Wells.

As of Wednesday, March 24, 2021

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Renward Wells said he believes The Bahamas will achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 by the time the country enters the summer season.

Herd immunity occurs when enough people are protected through vaccination or having had the virus.

Speaking to reporters before a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Mr Wells, pictured, said: “Through the COVAX facility we’re supposed to get over 100,000 doses of the vaccines. We are right now looking at ways that we can source more AstraZeneca but given the fact of the amount of Bahamians who have already been exposed to COVID, you do the math, it says a lot of Bahamians have already been exposed based on the fact that we are about 8,700 positive.”

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“Along with our vaccination programme, I do believe that by the time we enter the summer, that The Bahamas would have entered and we would’ve reached our desired herd immunity which means that the country will be able to move in a more positive direction.

“We just want the Bahamian people to continue to adhere to the health protocols. We are in the final stretch of this global race. We are in the final stretch of this 400m race as I like to put it. We’re in the 100m, we’re coming to the finish line.”

Asked about when the next batch of vaccines will reach the country, Mr Wells said: “Bahamians can be assured that just like we brought in vaccines that we are going to get additional vaccines and continue our wonderful, excellent vaccination programme that is now underway in The Bahamas.”

The wait for additional vaccines comes as rich, developed countries have been accused of hoarding the jabs.

“In the international community it is cause for concern,” Mr Wells said. “There is supposed to be global solidarity. The discussions are taking place at the level of the leadership, the global leadership as to how it is we are going to see more fair and equitable distribution of vaccines.”

Mr Wells noted the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been proven safe and effective. 

He said he would examine new reports that AstraZeneca released outdated information from its vaccine trial to US authorities. 

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Comments

bahamianson 3 years, 7 months ago

tried to register my parents yesterday, whom are over 70 years, but Loyola does not have any appointment times. Did the system crash?

DWW 3 years, 7 months ago

overbooked. keep trying. new location available.

John 3 years, 7 months ago

Herd immunity occurs when enough people are protected through vaccination or having had the virus.

Herd immunity has been in effect in this country (at least in parts of it ) since last year. That is why you no longer see medical staff and front line workers getting the virus in large numbers. And there are persons, like food store workers for example, who were being exposed over and repeatedly to the virus, but at limited levels. Those are the ones who now have the greatest resistance and they continue to protect the rest of the population. And then there are those who travel and bring the virus back with them. Those who don’t follow the proper travel guidelines. They bring different strains of the virus back and expose others to it. Persons who may not have been exposed to the the virus at all. So they get infected and they become ill. These people are the greatest risk. These are people in Grand Bahama and Bimini and Abaco who cross over to Florida on a regular basis and return home with no proper protocols. And so now there are concerning spikes in at least two of those populations. Then, of course, it trickles down into other islands, like New Providence and Andros and Eleuthera. And now there are new concerns about the AstraGenica vaccine. It’s effectiveness (efficacy) may have been overrated. Persons who took the vaccine may have been given a false sense of security as numbers in some countries that have done mass vaccinations are seeing increasing numbers of infections. The key to beating and eliminating this virus still remains; face masks, proper sanitation of hands, social distancing, crowd and travel restrictions. The vaccine is secondary and may,in fact, create long term complications.

proudloudandfnm 3 years, 7 months ago

Please just stop. Obviously you have no concept of herd immunity..

tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago

He needs a spanking. After all, he should know that only you have a monopoly on opinions about herd immunity. LOL

SipPis 3 years, 7 months ago

Every single assertion in this poorly written diatribe is false.

Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 7 months ago

"as numbers in some countries that have done mass vaccinations are seeing increasing numbers of infections"

Which countries have done mass vaccinations, and which ones are seeing increasing numbers ??

proudloudandfnm 3 years, 7 months ago

Where do you get all incredibly wrong information????

Damn. John you're like an encyclopedia of wrong information.

tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago

Not so. More often than not, about 50% of what he talks about is quite credible.

proudloudandfnm 3 years, 7 months ago

Does anyone know how many logins this John/Tribanon person has?

tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago

Around the same number as you. LOL

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 7 months ago

I wouldnt dismiss everything John is saying just because its "John" saying it. That's how the politicians win over us. They teach us not to critically analyze a message to see what's true or might be plausible. It's reasonable to me that we have reached immunity on the original strain "in Nassau". its reasonable to me that the spike in infections is due to a COVID mutation that the population hasn't been exposed to. and It's reasonable to me that individuals on islands who saw low rates of infection may still be susceptible to the original strain

If we don't see this we will forever be hearing nonsense about us behaving ratger than the most serious threat from tourists crossing the border. And thats not to say they shouldnt be allowed to cross, its to recognize the greatest risk.

sheeprunner12 3 years, 7 months ago

Herd immunity means that at least 60% of the Bahamian population has been vaccinated ........ If we just count the Over 18 population, that is at least 180,000 persons to FULLY vaccinate ......

Is Renward Wells living in the real world??????

John 3 years, 7 months ago

Herd immunity does not necessarily require vaccination. Obviously both you and your two pen names are both lost and confused. Peruse the facts before you attempt to correct in ignorance!

Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 7 months ago

About 3 weeks ago, you stated that your earlier projection that the virus will be gone by the end of month was about to be proven correct. Well, that virus better pack it's bags and get gone in the next 7 days

John 3 years, 7 months ago

I said the virus will be mostly gone from The Bahamas by the end of March and from the rest of The earth by summer. Is this country at least 90% open, yes or no? Are the corona numbers mostly flat for most of the country, yes or no? Do most, if not all spikes in numbers, especially on Grand Bahama, New Providence and Abaco relate to some person(s) who have a history of recent travel, yes or no?

tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago

You know full well that Minnis is getting ready to order that the risk of spread of the Communist China Virus be put 'on hold' so that his selected FNM party candidates can go into full campaign rally mode. LOL

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 7 months ago

Herd immunity can be achieved by natural or artificial means. Natural means implies the most susceptible in the population die off and the stronger survive and pass antibodies to their yet born offspring. Artificial is the vaccination.

Unlike most I'm not dismissing "everything" John said. I also believe we reached natural herd immunity on the original strain. I believe the cases we are seeing now are people being exposed to a new strain of the virus. Hence the new instances of hospitalizations and deaths where we'd previously dropped off to zero.

I am appalled at Hubert Minnis and Renward Wells going to unsophisticated family island communities, inhabited by mostly female senior citizens and telling them the virus will be gone by summer. How irresponsible and absolutely heartless. They will say anything for a vote.

stislez 3 years, 7 months ago

Whateva happen to the dump?

proudloudandfnm 3 years, 7 months ago

I seriously doubt we'll reach herd immunity thru vaccinations. Too many buying into stupid conspiracy theories and too many afraid of the vaccine....

tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago

You shouldn't worry needlessly about achieving herd immunity. The sinister and ruthlessly evil Communist Chinese Party (CCP) is going to make sure that never happens. The CCP never could have dreamed the unleashing on the world of their 'first' lab created 'gain-of-function' viruse would meet with so much success in terms of facilitating their plan to bankrupt the US and dominate the world. That success means we are likely to see more pandemics of the COVID-19 variety in the near future. As far as the CCP is concerned, if it takes a scorched earth strategy to achieve what they want, then so be it.

TalRussell 3 years, 7 months ago

Well, some seriously impaired vision bullshi#, does we realm's crown minister,Thee Mr. Renward be experiencing, when out nearing half a billion in PopoulacesCommoners, herding insight has been spotted at the jibs, after but a select 300 plucked out from thee PopoulacsClassElites,** vaccinated. Well, leads asking if it is even more whitier talk than the UBP's, talked.

TalRussell 3 years, 7 months ago

Half of a million PopoulacesCommoners

John 3 years, 7 months ago

‘ Traveling to China Just Got Easier—If You Take a Chinese Covid-19 Vaccine Chinese embassies to facilitate visas despite concerns over efficacy of Chinese shots, as the concept of ‘vaccine passports’ gains pace...’. In other words any other vaccine doesn’t count.. only the Chinese vaccine matters.

proudloudandfnm 3 years, 7 months ago

You are seriously obsessed with China. Damn. Get help, for god's sake get help...

John 3 years, 7 months ago

It’s your very narrow mindedness and blind vision that led you to that incorrect conclusion. My posts reflect events that may be of interest to Bahamians or affect the Bahamas. Not everyone is into character bashing like you dude.

John 3 years, 7 months ago

Over time, those who contracted the virus developed an immunity to the novel strand of influenza, and life returned to normal by the early 1920s, according to historians and medical experts. Reports at the time suggest the virus became less lethal as the pandemic carried on in waves. But the strand of the flu didn’t just disappear. The influenza virus continuously mutated, passing through humans, pigs and other mammals. The pandemic-level virus morphed into just another seasonal flu. Descendants of the 1918 H1N1 virus make up the influenza viruses we’re fighting today.

sheeprunner12 3 years, 7 months ago

Is Covid19 a flu????????? ..................... Just asking for a friend

John 3 years, 7 months ago

Yes it is a virus similar to the flu.tell o that to your friend who you are asking for!

proudloudandfnm 3 years, 7 months ago

No. Covid is caused by a coronavirus, Sars 19 I think. The flu is caused by influenza...

So no. Covid 19 is not a flu.

John 3 years, 7 months ago

And they all stem from the Spanish flu.. the global epidemic that reportedly killed upwards of 50 million people...go study!

John 3 years, 7 months ago

‘ Influenza (Flu) and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by infection with a new coronavirus (called SARS-CoV-2), and flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses.’

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 7 months ago

The point is they are both viruses. They will therefore have similarities common to all viruses. What John is saying is correct. The vaccination targeted a strain of the virus it may or may not be effective against subsequent mutations of the virus... just like the flu virus

DDK 3 years, 7 months ago

Wonder how much Big Pharma pays governments of the world to use their respective peoples as guinea pigs for the various and sundry covacs? Ours must have been terrible easy to negotiate with🤣🤣🤣

Jetflt 3 years, 7 months ago

TalRussell. - do you speak a language that someone understands??? I don’t understand a damn thing you write!!!

John 3 years, 7 months ago

Starting next Monday, it will be illegal to leave Britain without special permission. And this special permission will only be granted under special circumstances as Britain closes its borders to help stem off a new surge in the Corona virus. Britons will not be able to leave at will and anyone who leaves or enters the country without special permission will be fined the equivalent of US $7,500.00

proudloudandfnm 3 years, 7 months ago

Hence the importance of vaccines...

John 3 years, 7 months ago

Vaccines are irrelevant in this instance. No one can enter of leave Britain without special permission. And wasn’t Britain among the countries that suspended the AstraGenica vaccine?

newcitizen 3 years, 7 months ago

What is he talking about? Isn't Renward an engineer, he should be able to do math. With Covax and the gift from India we have enough vaccines to fully vaccinate less than 20% of the population. We have had 8700 positive cases, even if that actually is 5x higher that is about 15% of the population, so now we have 35% of the population having an immunity. How, exactly, are we supposed to get immunity for the remaining 40% of the population that would get us to 75% for herd immunity? Where are these other 300,000 doses of vaccine coming from? Vaccines were put up for sale almost 9 months ago. Why has the government waited till now to start inquiring about purchases? What kind of show are they running here?

tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago

Acquiring more power and getting re-elected has always been much important to power-juiced Minnis than securing an adequate supply of high quality FDA approved vaccines for his lowly plebes. He's banking on most of them staying alive long enough to vote for him and his slate of fellow incompetent and corrupt FNM candidates in exchange for token gifts like a red T-shirt.

sheeprunner12 3 years, 7 months ago

Now we talking sense ................. the 242 politicians are imbeciles

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