Minister for Health, Wellness and New Health Investment, Dr. Irving McIntyre has confirmed the presence of Delta Variant of Covid-19 in Dominica.
During a press briefing on Monday night, Dr. McIntyre stressed the increased importance of vaccination in light of that development.
“This has become even more relevant in light of the fact that we finally received confirmation from [the Caribbean Public Health Agency] (CARPHA) that we do have the Delta Variant in Dominica,” he revealed.
Dr. McIntyre continued, “All our samples sent to CARPHA, which were subsequently sent to the University of the West Indies for sequencing, returned positive for the Delta Variant.”
According to him, this particular variant rarely has any cough and fever, but rather joint pains, headache, neck and upper back pain, general weakness, loss of appetite and pneumonia.
He further explained that the Delta Variant is also more virulent and takes less time to become extreme, leading to a higher death rate.
“This is because the Delta Variant does not remain in the nasal cavity for a long period of time, but quickly settles down to the lungs leading to pneumonia and in some cases eventually leading to death,” Dr. McIntyre explained.
He said it is of paramount importance that everyone participates in the vaccination roll-out of the Pfizer vaccine.
“We have had numerous consultations with the Ministry of Education since the Pfizer vaccine will be available to persons within the age group of 12 to 17 years,” he stated. “We are developing new strategies to get to the target population to include the corporate sector, public service, schools and the wider community.”
Dr. McIntyre gave the assurance that Dominica’s stock of vaccines – 13,943 Sinopharm vaccines, 10,000 AstraZeneca and the expected 46,800 Pfizer vaccines – is enough vaccine doses to achieve herd immunity.
The Health Minister reiterated the importance of following the public, health and social measures that have been put in place.
“These guidelines are scientific and have proven to work,” he noted. “These are the very same guidelines that kept us safe in the early stages of the Pandemic.”
He encouraged everyone to wear a mask in public, keep 6ft away from others, avoid large gatherings, wash hands regularly, practice proper respiratory etiquette, and sanitize frequently touched surfaces.
Dr. McIntyre also appealed to the businesses which were allowed to open, to ensure that the protocols specific to their businesses are implemented and adhered to.
“I must remind you that monitoring of your businesses is ongoing and failure to comply may result in closure,” he warned.
Cowards alone that do not Want to take the vaccines. Listening to all negativity.
Go take your vaccines and bring your young kids to get.
The vaccine protects you this is not a virus where is ginger tea that can help you.
Go get vaccinated!!!!!
Only a selfish person would refuse to take the vaccine.
You sit behind a computer and decide how cowards should be defined based on what you believe, wow. Yes, you are entitled to your opinion, but such opinion is worthless and cheap. You decided what is good for, I do not what and why you made your decision and if someone else made a decision opposite to what you believe, do you think that by calling them a coward makes them a coward lol.
Let the tourists ships in, let the tourists loose on our streets to spread whatever variants there are. Then come tell me how necessary your vaccine is; then I’ll tell you, Go F…k yourselves. Bunch of hypocrites and suckers.
They never isolated the virus, but are sure that it is the Delta variant now:-)
Now they want to vaccinate our kids…finger of from my child..my body my choice
Imagine a vaccine so save you have to be threatened to take it..
For a disease so deadly you have to be tested
to know you have it!!!!
ADMIN: The claim that the virus has never been isolated has been fact debunked here: https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-covid-rna-idUSL1N2LS27P
The delta variant can infect vaccinated persons, rarely displaying symptoms. That is how it snuck into Dominica. Vaccinated travellers with delta still in the incubation process tested negative and were allowed in. The mistake made here was to relax the protocols for vaccinated travellers too soon and to encourage cruise ships to once again bring such persons to our shores. Sensible Dominicans are playing their roll in getting vaccinated. I for one will not be socializing with the unvaccinated and will avoid them whenever possible.
…and who exactly would want to socialise with a bore like you?
First of all, how do you plan on knowing the unvaccinated? Every time you see someone you will ask for proof of vaccination?
Next, is all you those vaccinated that carrying that covid more. So ya, go lime and ting with you vaccinated folks. You all will just keep infecting each other.
One last thing, make sure if you owe the unvaccinated you pay them through ONLINE BANKING!!!
Not sure if this is an independent news article or a trailer for a horror movie. Blood red font ? Really ?
more scare/fear tactics… say what all you want, we not taking all you vaccine!
@Waiting For Airport: What a foolish, foolish, foolish person you are! You should be ashamed of yourself!
And if you continue with that senseless attitude, you don’t have to “wait for no airport”, you will only need a hollow of 6 feet deep–they can dig it up in less than an hour. Poor, poor, poor pity!
Ashamed because some random internet troll told me to be??? Makes sense!
Imagine this ting been going around since March 2020, September 2021 and they ain’t dig no hole for me yet… but they have dug holes for a lot of the vaccinated tho #MakeItMakeSense … despite your death wish for me, I wish you life and blessings and the ability to open you eyes to this scam that is COVID
I’m the mean time, we have on the ground evidence Fromm all over the world showing these vaccines are dangerous! Right now legendary reggae producer Lee scratch Perry’s wife is up in arms because the vaccine just killed her previously healthy husband. Countless more examples all over the place, but because the vaccine is government sanctioned, we take that as a reason to abandon common sense and basic reasoning!
Its fine, because it has already been widely stated that the “vaccines” available now were not developed to deal with this NEW delta variant. Its like taking pressure meds to treat gangrene. wont work. Can still get it, can still pass it can definitely die even if you take ANY of the vaccines available. In orher words, there is NO vaccine to deal with the DELTA variant.
ADMIN: While methods to combat the delta variant are still being developed, there is mounting evidence that the current vaccines are effective (to some degree) in regards to the delta variant: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7034e3.htm
Dr Mac needs to change the narrative. People are free to make their own personal choices regarding whether to take the vaccinate or not. ‘Targeting’ people is inappropriate language. Vaccines DO NOT prevent the spread of covid, they act as personal protection, boosting our natural immunity systems. Some of we Dominicans live very healthy and natural lives and we expect to continue to do so without this kind of pressure to vaccinate. Stop it now because there is a sector of the Dominica population that is prepared to protect its basic human rights. Spread the love and stop pointing the fingers.
@Gordon
You are wrong. The vaccines do prevent the spread of covid. They just don’t prevent it 100% – just like every vaccine. The statistics are absolutely clear. Also a healthy way of living does not replace a vaccination.
ADMIN: While there are certain situations where vaccines ,in general, can help prevent spread of disease the COVID-19 “vaccines effectiveness are measured by how well they protect people against moderate to severe COVID-19 disease—not how well they prevent infection or spread of the COVID-19 virus itself”: https://time.com/5937868/do-vaccines-stop-covid-19-spread/
Can people vaccinated against COVID-19 still spread the coronavirus?: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/can-people-vaccinated-against-covid-19-still-spread-the-coronavirus
Thank you Admin. These people just go ahead and repeat what their friends and acquaintances tell them without doing and testing or research themselves. Go to the CDC PAHO and WHO websites. They themselves will tell you the opposite of the rubbish you just said. But i gather if they do not agree with you you will ignore what you read and act like you never saw it. ignorance is bliss really.
@Rick “Statistics are absolutely clear.” When you wrote such thing, did you really understand what you wrote. Statistics, it’s something that always makes me shiver, it is a word that belongs in the vocabulary of Marketing, Ecomonist and Peddlers, not in Science. Have you not heard the saying, “If your experiment needs a statistician, you need a better experiment.” Health is a serious thing, do you need probability to deal and administer something for the acquirement of health, and you have the audacity to use the word Absolute to describe Statistics.
What you have done is exactly what is sold as science, the reason for taking Vaccine. The word Science has been made a mockery of,
it has been used in marketing by Big Pharma.
https://amindfullofmudpuddles.blogspot.com/
To Admim: You are saying that “COVID-19 vaccines effectiveness are measured by how well they protect people against moderate to severe COVID-19 disease— not how well they prevent infection or spread of the COVID-19 virus itself,” but then you also say “While there are certain situations where vaccines ,in general, can help prevent spread of disease.” Saying “in general” couldn’t that imply
on a whole, predominantly, for the most part, doesn’t that contradict your statement., “not how well they prevent infection or spread of the COVID-19 virus itself.” Where is the clarity to this information, as to what really is the purpose of Vaccines in this fight against COVID-19, now after reading this what are we to believe.
The bottom line, is the vaccine safe whether their effectiveness are measured by how well they protect people against moderate to severe COVID-19 disease, and why ignore other methods for their effectiveness.
ADMIN: We did not make that specific statement it is a quote from one of the off-site articles we posted.
As indicated in the linked articles, vaccines ,in general, have proven effective in preventing spread of infection – with decades of study to support this medical fact.
The new vaccines have proven effective under specific measures and situations (such as those given above), at the same time, there is still much to learn about COVID-19 and the various COVID vaccines.Additonally, more information becomes available everyday.
Wish you guy would have one voice CDC said one thing fda said another now carpha …how are supposed to trust you guys