St Vincent and the Grenadines, still reeling from a volcanic eruption, now face soaring Covid-19 cases, mounting death toll, and economic fallouts.
On Monday, September 20, One hundred and nineteen (119) new COVID-19 positive cases were reported. The island has also recorded 17 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
There are currently twenty-three (23) patients admitted for COVID-19 at the Argyle Isolation Facility. The Ministry of Health said Twenty-two (22) are unvaccinated, and one (1) patient is partially vaccinated.
Health officials reported on Tuesday, September 21, that there were Six hundred and two (602) cases currently active.
South of mainland, the Grenadine islands of Mustique, Canouan and Union Island, part of the multi-island state, are now swamped with COVID -19 cases.
On Friday, September 17, a government official reported that Twenty (20) children are COVID positive on Canouan.
The MP for the Southern Grenadines Terrance Ollivierre, on Monday, September 20, stated that the outbreak of Covid-19 cases on the tourist-dependent islands is quite alarming.
“The numbers do not lie, and the number of active covid-19 cases in these small islands, where people live in such proximity, is quite staggering”.
“The virus on the islands has hampered the normal way of life as some businesses were forced to close, while other essential services were under strain to continue operating”, Ollivierre reported.
‘Blame yourself if loved ones die’ – Gonsalves tells the Unvaccinated.
In mid-September, the island Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, speaking on state radio, said, “It is not inconceivable that what is happening in Grenada could happen here”.
Gonsalves said he was not scaremongering at that time SVG (St Vincent and the Grenadines) had recorded 154 new COVID infections in four days.
As of Tuesday, September 21, Grenada, located 70 miles south of mainland St Vincent, recorded Two thousand, two hundred and sixty (2260) cases and seventy-five (75) deaths.
The Prime Minister said the positivity rate was going up and stated that if the upward trend continues consistently above five per cent, the reopening of schools on the island set for October 4 may have to take on varying forms.
St Vincent’s positivity rate as of Wednesday, September 22, stood at 18.3%.
WHO’s most recently recommended that the positivity remains at 5% or lower for 14 days before countries reopen.
The Caribbean nation Prime Minister said given the many challenges the island faces, the best tool in the toolbox against COVID-19 needs to be utilised.
“The best tool is the vaccine. Some people want to take horse medicine for worms but don’t want to take the vaccine approved by the WHO, and it is bizarre”.
Gonsalves was referring to the controversial drug Ivermectin. The WHO current evidence on the use of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients is inconclusive.
The Prime Minister said that while his government hopes for the best, they are preparing in the eventuality the worst occurs.
On Friday, September 3, Gonsalves said that health officials were checking on the country’s COVID 19 supplies and equipment to see what more would be needed.
“What are the things which are of focus for us? Ventilators, we have to see how many we have in our possession, those which are working, and we are ordering more. Oxygen. You see that problem in Jamaica”?
“IV stands, beds, wheelchairs, trolleys, sheets and suction machines. You, hear me. Drugs, including hydrocortisone and anaesthetic agents and IV fluids”.
“We are asking all the departments, all the different areas to check for body bags because you have to prepare and to make arrangements for the use of any refrigerated container”.
“PPE’s protective equipment, more and more required. The lab PCR and antigen supplies, and other supplies”.
Gonsalves says all these are among a list that the Chief Medical Officer detailed on August 31.
St Vincent Facing Economic Fallout
With COVID-19 cases soaring on the Southern Caribbean island, its Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves stated that the COVID-19 pandemic had taken a toll on the economy.
Gonsalves speaking on Sunday, September 19, said that because of COVID, globally, there are increases in inflation, increases in the cost of shipping things, and the cost of delivering goods to the multi-island state.
“Inflation will increase, and until we can get some sense of normalcy in our economy, we, the government, are not going to be able to give a cost of living increases in salary. So you will find that your salary is paying for less than it paid for a year ago”.
“It is in your interest (workforce), from a salary perspective to return to normalcy as soon as possible so that the economy can return to growth, allowing us to make the adjustments necessary, in your salary, in everybody’s salary to allow you to have the same amount of money or more to buy things because things are getting more expensive,” Gonsalves said.
The islands Agriculture Minister Saboto Caesar, told News784 that a national drive had been launched to encourage all stakeholders in the agriculture and fisheries sectors to participate in a vaccination campaign.
“Our workforce of farmers and fishers, if overran by covid-19, may well be the greatest threat to food sovereignty and security in the history of our country”, Caesar stated.
The drive from the Ministry of Agriculture is expected to include a heavy presence in many rural farming and fishing communities.
At these sessions, information concerning vaccination will be provided.
St Vincent and the Grenadines have reported several COVID-19 variants, including Gamma, Delta and Mu.
Two thousand nine hundred and sixty-four (2964) cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in St. Vincent and the Grenadines since March 2020.
