With ‘expected’ rise in cases, Health Minister says two vaccine doses not enough

After a period of low COVID-19 infections, there seems to be a spike in the number of people infected daily once more and Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony says that more people need to get their booster shots.

“Vaccines don’t give you lifelong immunity, they give you immunity and protection for some period like about six months.

“After six months, if you don’t get a booster (shot), you are going to get a drop in your protection,” the Health Minister said on Monday during his daily COVID-19 update.

Currently, some 440,713 adults (or 85.9 per cent of the targeted population) have received their first COVID-19 dose; some 340,091 people (66.3 per cent) received both their first and second doses.

Just over 60,000 adults have taken their booster doses.

Dr. Anthony said that the rise in infections has been attributed to the emergence and spread of newer variants of SARS- Cov- 2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19.

Importantly, the Health Minister emphasised that those individuals with underlying medical conditions remain at a higher risk of becoming severely ill if infected. As such, he encouraged more people to get vaccinated but to also maintain key precautions such as wearing masks.

There are currently 142 active COVID-19 cases, with five people hospitalised. Two patients are hospitalised at the New Amsterdam hospital, one in the Mahaicony hospital and two at the National Infectious diseases hospital at Liliendaal, Georgetown.

Teenage vaccination uptake has also been limited.