Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh says there has been a decrease in COVID-19 vaccinations. Speaking at a media conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St.Ann’s on Saturday, he expressed that the trend was worrying.
Minister of Health, Terrence Deyalsingh said up to Friday 48.5% of the population were fully vaccinated and 98,490 accessed boosters.
He said from December 20th to January 10th, there was an increase in vaccine uptake but that decreased in the last few days. The minister explained that the health ministry was averaging 1,400 to 1,500 per day, a trend that he said held from December 20th to January 10th. He said first shots are now below 1,000 a day. The Minister is concerned about this decrease in vaccinations.
Chief Medical Officer Roshan Parasram also underscored the importance of mask-wearing for protection from COVID-19 and its variants. He said there was a possibility that the omicron variant was more aerosolised, which could be one reason why it is more transmissible.
He said an N95 and a surgical mask offer more layers of protection. Dr. Parasram added that the type of mask a person wears would depend on the setting in which a person was working.
He said the public policy was to wear a mask at all times in public so a cloth mask could be sufficient but more layers would be better.