St Vincent and the Grenadines health promotions officer Shanika John, has emphasised the importance of COVID-19 vaccine boosters amid the rise of the Omicron variant.
The Omicron variant of the COVID19 virus was first detected in SVG in a fully vaccinated traveller who arrived on the island from the United States on December 18.
John says the shot is most definitely recommended.
“A booster shot is recommended at this time for those persons who have been vaccinated for about 6-8 months, depending on your vaccine.
So if you have taken your AstraZeneca, you can wait up to eight months; your Pfizer, you can stay up to six months; and the Sputnik we can go for about the same eight-month period there.
In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we will have to make sure that we are protected and on top of it with the presence of the variants of concern.
Suppose you are not experiencing any cold-like symptoms and have taken your vaccine over a specific period. In that case, you need to consider a booster shot, because with the new variant, the Omicron variant, you need to have additional protection”, John stated.
Forty-eight (48) new COVID-19 positive cases were reported from two hundred and twenty-two samples collected on Sunday, January 2nd, 2022, resulting in a positivity of 21.6%. Eleven new rapid antigen-positive results were reported from flu clinics on January 2nd, 2022.
More evidence is emerging that the Omicron coronavirus variant affects the upper respiratory tract, causing milder symptoms than previous variants and resulting in a “decoupling” in some places between soaring case numbers and low death rates, a World Health Organization official said on Tuesday.
Since the heavily mutated variant was first detected in November, WHO data shows it has spread quickly and emerged in at least 128 countries, presenting dilemmas for many nations and people seeking to reboot their economies and lives after nearly two years of COVID-related disruptions.
However, while case numbers have surged to all-time records, the hospitalisation and death rates are often lower than at other phases in the pandemic.
South Africa, where the variant was first detected, believes its omicron wave has peaked; for example, London — where omicron cases surged in December before the variant took hold in the rest of Europe — may be seeing cases starting to plateau, according to experts, fueling hope that the wave could soon peak elsewhere, too.
