Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 21, 2021 (SKNIS): The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused global devastation, placing an immense burden on the health care system. Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris stated during the October 19, 2021 edition of ‘Leadership Matters’ that the Federation is now emerging from the third wave of infection caused by the virus and encouraged more persons to get vaccinated.
“We are emerging from the third wave of infection caused by this virus. Unfortunately, so far in this fight, we have lost 21 souls. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the departed. COVID-19 is real and we must take every reasonable measure to protect ourselves and our families. Over the last several days, we have seen a consistent fall in our daily positive rate. We also see that our recoveries continue to increase. However, we must not relax our efforts to keep ourselves, our families, our communities and our country safe. Just one week ago we had over 1000 active cases and today we are down to 435. We will get through this wave working together with our all of society approach that we have adopted from the very start of this pandemic,” said Prime Minister Harris.
The ’All of Society’ approach taken by Prime Minister Harris and the Unity government has ensured the safety and security of citizens and residents alike as the pandemic has ravaged other parts of the world. Prime Minister Harris also took the opportunity to encourage parents to get their teenagers vaccinated, while also highlighting the reduction of the quarantine period for the fully vaccinated incoming visitor.
“The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Health is providing educational sessions for parents and guardians followed by organized vaccination sessions for the various schools. However, you do not have to wait on these sessions or scheduled dates. You can take your child in tomorrow to get vaccinated. As we move into the holiday season, we know that relatives and friends who were kept away last year will be anxious to return this year. Our quarantine period for the incoming vaccinated traveler has been significantly reduced. Our nationals abroad, residents, and tourists have responded positively to the reduction of the quarantine period. We look forward to welcoming many of you who were unable to visit because of earlier restrictions put in place to control this deadly virus,” said Prime Minister Harris.
The Ministry of Health’s ongoing vaccination programme has been applauded for its success, with St. Kitts and Nevis surpassing the global benchmark of 70 percent before the end of 2021. As of October 20, 2021, 76.3 percent of the target population had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, with another 71.7percent being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
