MEDICAL CHIEF OF STAFF AT J.N.F. GENERAL HOSPITAL CONTINUES TO MAKE APPEALS FOR PERSONS TO GET VACCINATED 

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 28, 2022 (SKNIS): Medical Chief of Staff at the Joseph Nathaniel France (JNF) General Hospital in St. Kitts, Dr. Cameron Wilkinson, continues to call on citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis to get fully vaccinated in order to better protect themselves from severe disease, hospitalization, and death from the COVID-19 virus.  
 
Dr. Wilkinson made his most recent remarks at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 briefing on January 26, 2022, at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
 
He explained, “The vaccinated may continue to get breakthrough infections and will most likely recover, which we have been seeing happening here with little or no problems but will have an extra level of immunity.”
 
“The unvaccinated continue to be at greater risk of severe disease, hospitalization and death and those at the extremes of age with pre-existing conditions will remain most vulnerable,” he said.  
 
Recently, there were a total of five deaths over four days from COVID-19 with all being elderly and all unvaccinated with pre-existing conditions.
 
“We continue to encourage all to get vaccinated to protect themselves and those around them, however, if you choose not to get vaccinated and get infected, you remain at a significant risk of having severe disease and dying from COVID-19 and if you do survive, you remain at a higher risk of getting reinfected and still at risk of having severe disease and dying from COVID-19,” The Medical Chief of Staff said.  
 
“The stark reality is that COVID-19 will continue to have a presence in our communities, but one that we should not allow to disrupt all of our everyday lives as was the case in the earlier months of this pandemic,” said Dr. Wilkinson. 
 
As the fourth wave of the pandemic continues with the Omicron variant being predominant, recoveries now consistently outpace new infections, and St. Kitts and Nevis is now seeing a precipitous drop in active cases.
 
On December 23, 2021, the country saw an increase in cases from 23 to a high of 1360 positive cases by January 14, 2022, but the cases are now trending downward with the report for January 27 showing 483 positive cases. Dr. Wilkinson projects that the cases will continue to plateau.