INSIGHT: Tunnel vision and myopia are too heavily guiding decision on vaccinations for travellers

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

THIS past weekend, the requirements for fully-vaccinated travellers to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test before being permitted into the country were officially dropped. Within government and the tourism industry, this was viewed as the right move. This comes despite Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis, the chair of the National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee, admitting that research is ongoing.

“The committee is reviewing the transmissibility,” she said, adding: “Are you able to transmit the virus after you’ve been fully vaccinated? That is the only discussion we need to have and how long after you’re fully vaccinated, do you need any testing?”

She referred to CDC guidelines that suggest that for the fully vaccinated, while transmission might occur, it “does not produce significant illness”.

Meanwhile, with that research still under way, our country is falling short in mass testing and percentage of the population vaccinated.

A total of 1,096 cases were recorded in April, nearly doubling March totals. To this point, vaccinations are at somewhat of a standstill, as we await the remaining 67,200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the COVAX facility. Once those doses are administered, we will still not be anywhere near herd immunity, only having vaccinated 20 percent of the population.

Last week, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis encouraged businesses to have their unvaccinated employees take COVID-19 tests weekly to essentially avoid closures.

He said: “Kindly encourage all of your employees to become vaccinated, because if your employees are vaccinated, and one individual enters your premises who has evidence of COVID, you need not close your premises. You can continue.

“If one of your employees is not vaccinated and has COVID and the remainder of your employees are vaccinated, you need not close your premises. Your business can continue.

“However, if your employees are not vaccinated, and an individual enters your premises who has evidence of COVID, then your business is subsequently closed temporarily for a cleaning, thus jeopardising your economic progress,” said Dr Minnis.

Certainly, while this is not an outright vaccine mandate, which the competent authority could have decided to do, this certainly incentivises the private sector to mandate such policies that would come at a significant cost to the Bahamian people. As the current price for a COVID-19 test stands at $100, it goes without saying that the prime minister’s suggestion can result in an unfair burden being saddled on employees in the private sector.

We’ve seen a snapshot of what could possibly take place on a larger scale last month as a popular restaurant in western New Providence made the news after reports circulated they were forcing their employees to get vaccinated or face penalties.

But the government’s lack of acknowledgement of its decision not to supply free testing, coupled with its inability to acquire sufficient amounts of the vaccine, place the populace in a precarious position. Of the 200,000 plus Bahamians in our labour force, only 60,000 will be vaccinated from the initial tranches of the vaccine. While we don’t have data on the employment status of those vaccinated, a fair amount of retired and unemployed Bahamians would have accounted for some of the doses already given.

One would think these would be concerns for any government. But for whatever reason, the government’s focus is squarely on making the destination the most attractive for potential visitors – no matter the cost on the populace.

WHO Director General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus recently lamented the run on vaccines by the world’s wealthier countries and is hoping they will do their part as good world citizens by making surplus vaccines available to poorer countries. This comes as the US is reportedly getting ready to dump 60 million doses of AstraZeneca – from which Health Minister Renward Wells is hopeful we will receive a portion.

As concerns of geopolitical agendas loom with 80 percent of COVID-19 vaccines still in the hands of the world’s wealthier nations – a point raised by Dr Ghebreyesus - the government needs to keep an open line with the Bahamian people. We still have no more information on where we will get the next set of vaccines from, but that hasn’t stopped the government from easing travel restrictions – another point the WHO Director General made.

Deeming it “vaccine euphoria” – the practice by which governments are undermining “hard-won gains” as some countries are prematurely relaxing public health measures, such as allowing fully vaccinated travellers to enter the country without proof of a negative COVID-19 test while the majority of our population remains unvaccinated.

Dr Ghebreyesus aptly diagnosed the situation, stating that the longer the coronavirus circulates, the longer the global recovery will remain in the balance.

“The longer this coronavirus circulates anywhere, the longer global trade and travel will be disrupted, and the higher the chances that a variant could emerge that renders vaccines less effective. That’s just what viruses do,” he concluded.

Also speaking to the potential for vaccinated travellers being vectors for the virus, Senior Director of Infection Prevention at the Johns Hopkins Health System Dr Lisa Maragakis maintains that vulnerable populations are being put at risk. “While countries may welcome the income from tourism, additional cases can tip over a fragile health system,” she added.

It is rather concerning that such measured approaches are being taken outside of the country, but we are about embark on our greatest gamble yet.

The countries that have been successful either on the front or back-ends of the pandemic have either instituted mass testing of their citizens or have had efficient vaccination programmes. Our country’s global position has not afforded us the latter, but the government can certainly consider mass testing our citizens, beginning with New Providence and Grand Bahama.

Governing by focusing on the economy at the sacrifice of public health has not served any country well during this pandemic. Nor will it do so for us.

It’s just like my mother used to say – “Trouble is easy to get into and much harder to get out.”

Comments

DDK says...

I don't know about travellers, but it is my understanding from those to whom I have spoken that have taken the first dose of the so called astro zeneca vaccine that they were very ill for a good 24 hours, chills, head and stomach aches, unable to eat, and certainly unable to work, oh, and of course, soreness at the injection site! Have also spoken to some that claim they had no unpleasant side effects. Take it and be the judge. Of course, the jury will be out for a long time on long term effects of this and the other rush vaccines. It's probably a great roll of the dice admitting fully vaccinated folk into the Country, but then again we have been admitting entirely unvaccinated or partially vaccinated persons of all kinds into our Country since that time!

Posted 3 May 2021, 7:38 p.m. Suggest removal

Bobsyeruncle says...

Four of my family members (including myself) have had both doses. Each of us had different reactions, but none were any worse than you sometimes get with the annual flu vaccine.

And with respect to the long term effects, sure we don't know if indeed there will be any, but based on other vaccines it is unlikely that there will be. If it were actually a drug that we were talking about, then I think there would be more of a concern about the long term effects.

Also, don't forget we don't know the long term effects of COVID either. I have one particular friend who came down with COVID last August, and recovered, but they still haven't got their sense of taste or smell fully back to normal (that's 8 months and counting).
Pick your poison.

Posted 3 May 2021, 9:19 p.m. Suggest removal

tribanon says...

Watch this two hour documentary. It will help you with the much bigger picture on these experimental mRNA vaccines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8alro6m…

Posted 4 May 2021, 10:05 a.m. Suggest removal

DDK says...

Umm ,I don' believe the AstraZeneca/Vaxzevria vaccine is one of the Mrna varieties. I believe it is "using as a vector the modified chimpanzee adenovirus ChAdOx1".....

Posted 4 May 2021, 3:44 p.m. Suggest removal

MrsQ says...

My husband, a COVID survivor who has continuously experienced constant congestion and scratchy throat 7 months after contracting COVID received his first dose of the AZ vaccine at the end of March. He experienced no side effects and is looking forward to getting his second dose in a few weeks. I went to the U.S. a month ago to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine since I was not eligible to get the AZ vaccine here yet. I had a little bit of arm soreness and was fatigued for a couple of days after, but I have not experienced any side effects since. I will happily take a slightly sore arm and a few days of sleepiness over having to be placed on a ventilator and dying or developing lung scarring and other organ damage from COVID.

Posted 4 May 2021, 12:25 p.m. Suggest removal

tribanon says...

Unfortunately those who choose to remain unvaccinated may have reason to fear those who eagerly take these new vaccines that were developed at warp speed for emergency experimental use. And even those vaccinated may find themselves paradoxically more vulnerable to increasingly more virulent and dangerous corona viruses down the road.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/07…

Posted 4 May 2021, 1:10 p.m. Suggest removal

Bobsyeruncle says...

A study of vaccines in chickens! Just don't tell those KFC & Chicken Souse lovers.
I actually found it an interesting article from a scientific standpoint, and it does have some merit. But, I would like to see significantly more data from different peer reviewed studies, especially with human vaccines. If there is some truth in it, it doesn't bode well for those who don't want to get vaccinated.

Posted 4 May 2021, 5:07 p.m. Suggest removal

tribanon says...

Actually, it won't bode well for either the vaccinated or the unvaccinated if this massive vaccine experiment ends up resulting in deadlier pathogens to come while at the same time possibly having weakened mankind's immunological armor.

Wish you hadn't mentioned the chicken souse....been a while since I've enjoyed a good bowl of that..... and I'm hungry at the moment.

Posted 4 May 2021, 5:44 p.m. Suggest removal

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