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MAJ President Dr. Brian James and Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton
By Warren Bertram
President of the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ) Dr. Brian James says the low number of reported COVID-19 cases is not an indication of the absence of the virus, but rather a reflection of the low rate of hospitalisations.
He explained that people with COVID-19 may not be experiencing severe symptoms of the virus, as a milder variant is present in the country.
"We are in a bit of a lull where hospitalisation is concerned but it does not mean that the numbers are significantly lower. They are going to look lower because right now the Omicron variant and all of its children, its subvariants, they are significantly milder, so far, than any of the previous variants. Therefore, hospitalisation has not really ticked up because of them," he noted.
Dr. James highlighted that the new Kraken subvariant of COVID-19, which became the most dominant strain in the United States, is easily transmitted, but there is still no evidence that it is more virulent than the previous strain.
But the MAJ president, who was speaking Monday on Radio Jamaica's Beyond The Headlines, advised people to remain vigilant as there could be potentially stronger strains of the virus.
With the low vaccination rate, he said Jamaicans could become more susceptible if a more resilient strain enters the environment. If this were to happen, he warned that "hospitals might very well be vulnerable to becoming overrun".
Don't focus on brands
Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton, who was also a guest on Beyond The Headlines, advised people to not focus on brands when considering COVID-19 vaccines.
This is in light of the limited to no availability of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines on the island.
Dr. Tufton said all vaccines available in Jamaica have been approved by the World Health Organization, and as such, people should take the available jabs in the interest of their health.
He said there are about 150,000 doses available of the Johnson and Johnson and Sinopharm vaccines.
While the ministry tries to secure more doses of the Pfizer, Dr. Tufton urged Jamaicans "not to get caught up in expressing a preference" but "focus on protecting themselves if they feel vulnerable".
The Health Minister noted that the vaccines which are unavailable locally have also become unavailable globally as the perception of the COVID-19 virus has shifted.
"Despite the new variant strains that are emerging, the world has really downsized their attention to COVID. It’s not just Jamaica, and it's not just a matter of complacency; it's also backed by some science that the virus, when it was novel, would travel through the population. Having gone through the population, and between vaccinations and natural immunity, it would become less harmful unless there is a radical variant strain," he advised.
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