Chief medical officer Dr Roshan Parasram says although Trinidad and Tobago did not record any new cases of Covid-19 from samples taken over a three-day period, that does not mean the country is out of the woods.
Parasram spoke during yesterday’s virtual media conference hosted by the Ministry of Health.
On Friday, the ministry reported that no new cases had been detected in samples taken from February 2 to February 4.
Parasram said yesterday that about 231 samples had been tested for that period.
“That’s a good sign,” he said. ‘During the specific period, we would have tested about 231 samples. The samples would be taken from individuals presented to the facilities with a type of viral symptoms belonging to the category of an acute viral disease or acute respiratory disease. or severe respiratory illness. In those individuals, out of all those tested, none of them came back so positive over that period. ”
Parasram reminded the country that the virus is still circulating. “That does not mean we have no Covid in the country. We currently have 230 active cases, and I’m sure we have people who are presenting viral symptoms at the facilities that will be tested and possibly by tomorrow, and we will record a few more cases …. ‘
Vaccination first line of defense
On the preparations for carrying out the vaccination program, Parasram said the ministry was making a mockery of senior staff about how the vaccines would be rolled out from storage to delivery to patients.
“We have worked out the process from arrival, to the administration, in our national vaccine plan.”
During the briefing, Professor of Immunology at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Michele Monteil encouraged the public to get the vaccine when it is available.
She said this is how the world can begin to return to a semblance of normality.
‘We really need to do two things: we need to provide the majority of our population with good protection immunity against the (virus), and we need to have a low level of transmission of the virus from person to person. The best way to achieve this is through vaccination. ”
Monteil noted that Israel has already vaccinated 90 percent of its elderly population over the age of 60 using the Pfizer vaccine.
‘And what they could tell us is that the number of infections after vaccination in the population has dropped sharply. “So there is real evidence that the Pfizer vaccine works,” she said.
District health visitor at the Eastern Regional Health Authority, Penny Ramlagan, also stressed the importance of vaccination.
She noted that vaccines have historically proved effective and have successfully combated many other deadly diseases.
“Vaccination is our first line of defense,” she said.
‘Throughout history, vaccination has been our ammunition in the fight against vaccine-preventable diseases. We vaccinate not only to protect our children, but also to protect our future, our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
‘The Covid-19 vaccine is an important line of defense in the fight against the Covid-19 virus. The Covid-19 vaccine, along with adhering to the Covid-19 protocols, such as wearing mask, social distance, washing hands, disinfecting hands, will help us win this war against Covid-19. ”