The main persons responsible for the protocols and the safety of Anguilla, regarding the COVID-19 virus and its variants, Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Aisha Andrewin, and Permanent Secretary, Health, Mr. Foster Rogers, have indicated that the infection rate on the island is not so bad or unmanageable that it warrants another shut down of the island. They have, however, advised that there is a need for continued caution, alertness and adherence to the protocols and prevention rules.
The two health officials stressed, at the Government’s Press Conference, on Monday, August 16, that the protocols and Astra – Zeneca vaccine were working and there was no reason to close down the island every time some cases of the virus popped up.
“You see what has happened with the Delta variant in other countries [and not in Anguilla]? That is because we had protocols, bubbles, quarantine and stuff like that,” the Chief Medical Officer stated. “This speaks to risk mitigation – and we have evidence that it works. We faced Delta before we even knew what it was; and what we kept saying, for the last 18 months, was that the public health measures are working irrespective of what variant you are dealing with. What Delta has done is that we have had to put back certain things in place until better can be done…. Another thing that pushed us in that direction is that this virus, historically, has spared young children and healthy, young adults. Delta has caused an astronomical increase in hospitalisations of children and young adults [in other countries].”
Dr. Andrewin continued: “We are facing an existential threat and a crisis, and are at war with the virus. We have to be smart like the rest of the world that are trying to get back their economies on board…So far, in my humble estimation, we are still rolling with the punches, but it would have been great if we maintained our 100 percent [risk] reduction in the households. Delta has changed that but what it has not changed, so far, is the original objective of all of these vaccines which is to prevent severe disease and death. If we keep our numbers manageable, there is no reason for us to have a shutdown to curtail activities – and so on.
“We have looked at the vulnerable sectors of our community. Fortunately, again for Anguilla, school is out and we have two to six weeks to see, cautiously, where the situation goes. With school out, that’s a big chunk of our vulnerable population. We have also suspended visits to the prison for the next couple of weeks – and also to the elderly care homes. Kudos to the prison staff because 94.5 percent of the staff is vaccinated – 53 out of 55 – compared with 9 out of 36 prisoners …but at least we have done our part in terms of our civil duty.”
She warned that every care must be taken to ensure that the virus is not spread across the island as there would be an explosion of sick people. “We have to play our game right,” the CMO said. “We have to look back and reassess every time. We cannot say the same thing when the epidemiology has changed. We have to work with it. Right now the situation is still pretty good. Think about where we were the last time when there was a cluster. Let us see where this will go – and keep the faith.”
Permanent Secretary, Mr Foster Rogers, said: “The Ministry of Health, our team, and our counterparts around the world, have been at this since January of 2020. We have indicated that we will try to give the best advice possible. I think that over the last year and a half that the public in Anguilla can definitely say – that we have tried our best to manage this virus in such a way that all Anguillians can be proud of, as we move forward.”
Mr. Rogers was pleased about the increased number of vaccinations in Anguilla, with close to 10,000 persons having received their first dose of the vaccine – and almost 9,000 their second dose. He continued: “Since we began testing last year, we tested 37,111 people. The bulk of those tests were in the tourism industry – persons coming in; staying with us; and tested when leaving the island. The persons in the tourism industry are the greatest tested people in Anguilla, so we know what is happening in the tourism industry. Even if we get a positive case, when persons are leaving the island, we know by contact tracing where the possible affected persons are; and we cannot find a case where a positive visitor, entering Anguilla, has spread the disease to Anguillians.”
Mr. Rogers stressed that while recommendations were made by the Health Team to Executive Council, in relation to certain precautionary measures against COVID- 19, consideration was given to allow some economic activity to continue on the island. This was especially allowed as there was a high vaccinated rate in Anguilla. “We cannot shutdown every time we have a little spike here and there. It is just not possible,” he emphasised.
He further stated: “The Ministry of Finance can tell you that the losses to the Government of Anguilla in April, when we shutdown for that month, were phenomenal. Up to now the Government has not really got to a point where it can recover those revenues. But it was necessary to shutdown then because of what we saw coming.”
The Permanent Secretary explained that this time, with some 13 cases and a small cluster of the virus on the island, the Health Team had recommended to Executive Council to protect at-risk groups on the island. It was therefore decided, as part of the measures, to curtail visits to the hospital, homes for the elderly and the prison.
“Other than that,” he added, “we felt that, at this time, the situation was something that we can manage without shutting down the entire country. If you don’t have to do that, why would you do it? It causes harm; people are not able to work – and they lose salaries. This virus is going to be with us for a while and we have many variants now. It is not going to stop – and most of these variants are coming from countries because they have an uncontrolled pandemic.”
Both Mr. Rogers and Dr. Andrewin advised the people of Anguilla to continue to observe the various protocols and restrictions now in place by the Government of Anguilla, and the Ministry of Health.
