By PAVEL BAILEY
A LOCAL infectious disease expert said about 40 percent of the population are fully vaccinated but cautioned against rescinding COVID-19 safety protocols too soon.
Dr Nikkiah Forbes, director of the National HIV/ AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme at the Ministry of Health, discussed how The Bahamas has currently achieved an estimated 40 percent of the population being fully vaccinated as of February 12.
With vaccine hesitancy still an issue, she said it’s unlikely the country will reach 50 percent to 75 percent vaccination by the end of the year.
“So, on the 12 of February the dashboard says that 160,655 persons are fully vaccinated and when you divide that by the 400,000 rough estimate of the population projection that works out to be roughly 40 percent,” she said yesterday.
While Dr Forbes is encouraged by the figure, she cautioned the public that being vaccinated does not fully reduce the risk of being infected with COVID-19 especially against newer strains of the virus.
“We know that persons can get reinfected with COVID even if they’ve had COVID and that it is possible with emerging variants especially that even if you are vaccinated, it is possible that one can still get a breakthrough infection. Especially when we are seeing these variants emerge that the vaccines may not work as well against.”
She said despite the strides made in vaccination numbers, there has been a slow down in vaccination rates recently and that vaccine hesitancy is still a real issue amongst certain members of the public.
“I can say that vaccine uptake has slowed and there is vaccine hesitancy and not just here, but in many places. And so there would need to be a significant shift to reach that (50-75 percent vaccination milestone) by the end of the year. And so going on the current uptake and the uptake trend experience, it is very unlikely.”
As other countries in the world, such as the UK and US, move to relax public mask mandates, Dr Forbes warned that The Bahamas’ vaccination coverage is not at the same level of those more developed nations and as such advised the public to continue adhering to public mask wearing policies for the foreseeable future.
“We would have to consider that our vaccination coverage is not as good as the United Kingdom. I think if you research it their vaccination coverage is somewhere around 70 percent fully vaccinated persons. So, what does that mean exactly, if you’re fully vaccinated and you get COVID the overwhelmingly for the most part your symptoms what you experience will be between a cold and a flu (for) most persons.
“Meaning that the risk is significantly lower in a population that is highly vaccinated so that the healthcare system may not be overwhelmed. These are all of the things one would have to consider and so mask wearing is absolutely a strategy that we should continue to do in our country given the very tenuous state that the healthcare system would be in if we are in a surge and that our vaccination coverage is still suboptimal for people.”
However, Dr Forbes commended government efforts to increase public vaccination rates with on-the-spot vaccination walkabouts, like ones held in local communities like Bain Town and Yellow Elder Park last weekend, calling the initiative innovative and further encouraging the government to raise public awareness on vaccine safety.
“I think it’s very innovative and it meets people where they are, and vaccine hesitancy does have to be addressed one-on-one. And it is all going to contribute to and lead to more persons that are vaccinated and that means that there are less people who are at risk for being in hospital or dying of COVID and so I think it is a good innovative strategy and it needs to happen in more places.”
She acknowledged that the country is still in the Omicron wave and that the curve has flattened. However, she said things can change.
“We are still in it (the Omicron wave), but we flattened the curve and there are things we all need to continue to do to keep the numbers low. And, for example, in previous waves we started to have an increase as we got into the summer and late spring and so on related to travel and so we’ve got to continue to all do our part if we want to keep it low because that can change.”
Comments
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
Bahamians are tired of the shifting tides ever stretching doctors professional trust. First we had to lock down our homes and economy and just wait for the vaccine cure so that everyone could go back to work. Then what exists now it repeated up to four revaccinations called boosters now at least every year to be called fully vaccinated. Newest science data says your last of four revax boost only lasts four months then efficacy fails. For the past two years we are stuck at get vaccinated even for the vaccinated. Will this madness ever end. One set of constants remain that is vaccinations neither prevents covid, you still spread it and it only helps if you are immune compromised with up to three comobidities. According to latest data. Only omicron is widespread and according to CDC it is resistant to know vaccines with vaccinated becoming ill. If Delta is dead as the dominant strain and omicron makes a joke of all vaccines logic gets lost. The international press is fatigued being fed to it a new omicron B.1.2.B.3 that gas lighted but no one noticed. Israel has moved on to business as usual. Herd immunity slogan science has been replaced by never-ending boost revaccination just to Cruiseship travel. They say it is just BS but cruising pays the bills even though fully vaccinated cruises around the world presented with massive outbreaks. Even as the FDA advised of heart complications as a risk the Bahamas still pushes on with Vax Minnisitis out of power see no evil.
ohdrap4 2 years, 10 months ago
I do not exist to safeguard the health system.
I avoid hospitals because that's the most likely place to catch covid.
The vaccine does not work for omicron. If you have not been vaxxed, why bother?
If you have been vaxxed, why bother?
Soon it will be lower than 40%. I have heard many people say they will not take a booster.
John 2 years, 10 months ago
Most of the ‘Get Vaccinated or Die or take the virus home to your family and friends and kill them.’ Saga was a lie. Do you know many of the lesser vaccinated populations in Africa and elsewhere suffered less infections before the Omicron variants and less deaths during the omicron wave? He much of the ‘get vaccinatedcampaign’ was actually a money take-in scheme or a highly elevated fear mongering ploy?
GodSpeed 2 years, 10 months ago
STILL not taking the bioweapon "vaccine" 💉💉 it was all a big scam from day 1. The clot shot was always about money and they're not done yet, still trying to force people into taking it for the +99.9% survivable virus. The behavior of politicians and the media in regards to the China virus has been nothing but revolting, liars using fear mongering to get more power and take away more of our rights. Everything about the pandemic is a fraud.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 10 months ago
Its pretty clear vaccinations were not the answer. 40% after all the bribe money and gifts is very low. Most persons were probably forced to get vaccinated for job safety, pretty horrible not to have control of your own body.
LastManStanding 2 years, 10 months ago
These people really take Bahamians for fools, the doomsday prophets have been wrong for 2 years now. Anyone with an IQ over 60 can see through this scam.
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperi…
Peppridge Farm remembers the 2.2 million Americans that were supposed to be dead by now.
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
Minnisitis promised 10 thousand Bahamians dead to force hospital overwhelmed PAHO big talking mouth estimates. We had 188 from March 2020 to March 2021 before Vax then 700 in months to October 2021 after vaccination.
John 2 years, 10 months ago
The next vaccine surge will come closer to Easter when Bahamians beill want to travel to the US for those pagan Easter Baskets and other things. Whilst over 50 deaths are still under investigation for being possibly Covid related, many vaccinated people around the world,are dying from seizures and heart failure that may be vaccines related. The request for approval to vaccinate children under 5 years has been withdrawn by Pfizer because the required dosage was unsafe. And many virologists ( who are not on the vaccines manufacturers bandwagon , some on this wagon are Bahamians) are suggesting a postponement of vaccinations and booster shots as they are not effective against the Omicron and can possibly do more damage than good. They strongly believe that patients who get vaccinated or take booster shots after recovering from Omicron INCREASE their chances of getting te-infected. Boosting your natural immune system is the best defense they contend.
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
Yeah, right. And the unemployment rate in the Bahamas is less than 15%. LMAO
M0J0 2 years, 10 months ago
Truth is out now, they all have to back pedal to try to look intelligent. Lies cannot be covered, the whole world eyes are now opened.
quavaduff 2 years, 10 months ago
40% for a nation where tourism is their number one industry is just stupid on too many levels
Read the obituaries if you need a reason or justification for the vaccine. Wise up Bahamas.
quavaduff 2 years, 10 months ago
Be aware that there is a lot of stupidity and "face book facts" in the remarks above. Steer clear and follow the real facts and science. Vaccines have saved the planet, from polio to yellow fever and all viruses in between. Don't rely on the nonsense spouted here by folks who have never been in a science class.
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
Mr. Science, I happily bequeath unto you all of the jabs of the experimental mRNA vaccines that you so despair I exercised my personal right and freedom not to have put in my body.
ohdrap4 2 years, 10 months ago
The threats no longer work. People now have more friends who had it and never went ot the hospitals than people who died.
And Facebook even Called out the British Medical Journal, the oldest and very prestigious medical journal, for misinformation. Only because the article was liked by he famous who did not toe the line.
I guess Jean Luc Montangnier and Robert Malone never been to Science class because they saw Fauci teaching and ran.
John 2 years, 10 months ago
Obviously you are referring to yourself about Facebook facts and people who are never been in science class. You are obviously an idiot, yes a stoopid one when it comes to facts about Covid and those about vaccines. The most renowned authority on Covid, Anthony Fauci says NONE of the vaccines are effective against the Omicron strains. Virologist in South Africa says ‘Omicron sees the vaccines as a foreign substance in the body or as another virus. It binds the vaccines and renders them ineffective then the Omicron variants establishes its own immune system and prevents the patient from being infected by any other strains of Covid 19. How stupid do you have to be to see it is futile to continue vaccinations whilst omicron is the dominant strain? If the vaccines are ineffective against Omicron then what are you vaccinating against. Let me guess… polio or yellow fever.. sounds about left or should that be right? And I did not use the word ‘idiot’ lightly .
John 2 years, 10 months ago
PS: The Tuskegee Experiment was also based on vaccines
TalRussell 2 years, 10 months ago
Requesting further clarification as to how de arithmetic was calculated?
IF as of 11 February 2022, a total of 323,346 vaccine DOES have been administered amongst a popoulaces, unofficially said be nearer to 488,888...then Four In Ten Populaces would be too much of impossibility stretch have now fully administrated vaccinated does** to four out 10 de popoulaces?
Even if using the 4 out ten are fully vaccinated it still leaves close 295,000 of de popoulaces roaming about mask less as de unvaccinated, ― Yes?
John 2 years, 10 months ago
If you think the Arithmetic is wrong check out the mystery in the science. The virologists/vaccine manufacturers claim that one of the reasons the vaccines were developed so quickly was because the ‘technology’ used in the vaccines was already in use in developing AIDS vaccines. So today (meaning just recently) in the midst of all the Covid-19 vaccines hype and controversy, it has been announced that a cure had been found for AIDS and an infected female has been cured. And they are quick to point out that 2/3 of AIDS sufferers are homosexual men ( well the political term is men who have sex with other men). And 40 of persons with AIDS are Black. In fact the reports go on to say 80% of AIDS patients are non white. So exactly what is the relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic and the discovery of a cure for AIDS and the Covid-19 vaccines that were developed from vaccines already being developed/tested for AIDS?
John 2 years, 10 months ago
PS: And a few weeks before the announcement about a cure for AIDS, there was an announcement about the discovery of a more infectious strain of the AIDS virus that kills its victims twice as fast as previously known strains. Exactly what is in (at least ) some of these vaccines. Rember during the height of the AIDS, they were up and about injecting people with what was purported to be AIDS vaccines. It was later discovered that it was the live AIDS virus and millions of people got infected and died, some long suffering and with horrible symptoms.
carltonr61 2 years, 10 months ago
Only WHO/PAHO has not issued heart warnings especially for males under 30 after vaccination. Or at least they could publicly deny what Japan has done in placing heart warnings on the Vax labeling.
https://m.theepochtimes.com/heart-infla…
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