Michael Abrahams | We are now even more vulnerable

As of July 1, and effective until August 11, our curfew hours will be as follows: Mondays to Saturdays: 11 p.m. – 5 a.m.; Sundays: 6 p.m. – 5 a.m.

When I heard that the times would be changed, allowing us to be up and about for longer hours, my initial reaction was one of joy. Since the restrictions had been put in place, I have been feeling like a caged animal. The lockdowns have taken a toll on our mental and social well-being. Not only that, but it has also crippled the entertainment and several other sectors. Anyone whose income depended on audiences and gatherings, and those who benefited from clients being able to conduct business with them after traditional working hours, were negatively, often severely, affected. I have friends and acquaintances in the entertainment industry who found it necessary to temporarily relocate or migrate in order to survive.

The prime minister has a very difficult job, and I do not envy him. He is damned if he does, and damned if he does not. He will never please everyone, and no matter what he does, he will be harshly criticised, and sometimes unjustly, by politically biased critics.

However, the combination of relaxing the curfews, while simultaneously allowing larger gatherings, such as churches and cinemas being allowed to be filled to 70 per cent of their capacity, while announcing a concert on July 1 to mark International Reggae Day, at this time, is a recipe for disaster.

EMBARRASSINGLY LOW VACCINATION RATE

Our vaccination rate is embarrassingly low, with a mere 2.7 per cent of our population being fully vaccinated. Our vaccine procurement is shaky and unpredictable. As for the administration of vaccines to the populace, it has been disorganised and chaotic, with several younger persons being fully vaccinated while many older folks, including several with co-morbidities, who are therefore vulnerable, being unvaccinated or left stranded with one dose and not knowing if, or when, they will receive a second.

Countries with low vaccination rates are more vulnerable regarding the spread of COVID-19, and now we have a new complication: the emergence of the Delta variant.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Delta variant is the most transmissible variant of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) we have seen so far, and will “pick off” the most vulnerable, as it has the potential ”to be more lethal because it is more efficient in the way it transmits between humans”. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Delta strain is a “variant of concern”, also noting that this mutation spreads easily and has a propensity to cause more severe disease, resulting in more hospitalisations. It is also less responsive to monoclonal antibody treatment, a commonly used therapy for severely ill, hospitalised patients. Vaccines are still useful against this variant, but their success rates are lower.

DELTA STRAIN

It is indeed a “variant of concern” as even Israel, one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, with 58 per cent of its population fully vaccinated, has returned to instituting mask mandates, as the country is now seeing an increase in COVID-19 infections, with 90 per cent of new cases, including cases in persons who are fully vaccinated, attributed to the strain.

In the United Kingdom (UK), where 48 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, the country is experiencing another surge in COVID-19 cases, with 99 per cent of cases reported to be due to the Delta strain, with the spike preventing the planned relaxation of lockdown in that country.

Meanwhile, in the United States (US), the CDC reports that the prevalence of the Delta strain more than doubled over the two week period ending on June 19, prompting Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, to declare, “The Delta variant is currently the greatest threat to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19.”

According to the WHO’s chief scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, the variant is “well on its way to becoming the dominant variant globally because of its increased transmissibility”. Indeed, it has been identified in over 90 countries. And as if all this is not bad enough, the Delta strain has developed a new mutation, the Delta Plus, which has a greater affinity for lung tissue than other strains, posing a new threat.

The question of the Delta strain reaching Jamaica is not one of ‘if’, but one of ‘when’, if it is not already here. There is frequent and unrestricted travel between Jamaica and the UK and the US, two countries now grappling with an increase in cases due to the variant.

So, with a worryingly low vaccination rate, the uncertainty of future vaccine acquisition and roll-outs, and the stubborn refusal of our Ministry of Health and Wellness to facilitate the availability of Ivermectin, a safe drug shown by a multitude of studies to be effective in treating COVID-19, our Government has decided to let its guard down. While much of the world braces for the impact of the Delta strain, including countries with excellent medical resources and well-vaccinated populations, those charged with protecting our vulnerable population have decided to make us even more vulnerable.

I do not understand it. Do you?

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or Twitter @mikeyabrahams.