Only two fully vaccinated Jamaicans hospitalised

Only two cases of persons requiring hospitalisation after contracting COVID-19 while being fully vaccinated have been recorded in Jamaica, a senior health ministry official has said.

Dr Melody Ennis, the director of family health services in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, told The Gleaner that a “deeper count” was ongoing to see if there were other such patients amid a global increase of these instances, called breakthrough cases.

“The data I have is that only two of these persons are in hospital,” Ennis said.

She was, however, unable to comment on the severity of the illnesses in either of the cases.

The revelation comes amid increased hospitalisation for COVID-19 across the island putting a significant strain on the public health sector as the health ministry tries to combat vaccine hesitancy.

Jamaica recorded 556 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, with the ages of those confirmed with the virus ranging from 65 days to 94 years. The figure brings the number of active cases across the island to 11,126, with 564 hospitalisations, believed to be largely driven by the Delta variant, which was confirmed in the island this week from test samples taken last month.

Despite the breakthrough cases, consultant epidemiologist Professor Peter Figueroa is stressing that the vaccines work, advising citizens to get off the fence and take the jab.

“The argument that the vaccine is not perfect, there is just no logic to it. In the US (United States) right now, Delta is causing a surge. Ninety-six per cent of hospitalisations are among the unvaccinated, so it is clear that those who are vaccinated are being protected from severe disease,” he said.

Figueroa said that the COVID-19 vaccine works much in the same way that traditional vaccines do, as no shot offers full coverage.

“There is nothing that is a 100 per cent. There are outliers that will take the vaccine and will get sick, but the vast majority that take it are well,” he said. “Vaccines don’t give you full immunity. There are persons that take the polio drops who can [still] get polio and who take the vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), and still get sick, but those are outliers.”

Speaking with The Gleaner on condition of anonymity, one medical doctor based at the May Pen Hospital in Clarendon said that, while no breakthrough cases have been recorded there, the hospital has seen an increase in “much younger patients dying at a much faster pace” in this the third wave of the local outbreak.

“From what we are seeing, they are deteriorating faster and that was even before confirmation that the Delta variant is here,” the doctor said.

Public health consultant Dr Hamlet Nation also noted an increase in the severity and sharp deterioration of unvaccinated patients from his circle of medical practitioners in recent weeks.

“What we are seeing is that younger persons are getting sick and more are testing positive at their point of care. Every single person I have spoken to – whether from the east or west of the country – is seeing the same thing,” he said.

Nation suggested that the Ministry of Health and Wellness ramp up its vaccination drive by targeting communities and workers who, during the normal course of things, would not make it to a vaccination site.

“For example, construction workers are not going to go to a blitz; they work Sunday to Sunday. Someone who works all week and only has Sunday as a rest day will not leave home to go to a site to get vaccinated. Some people will be motivated to go but, for some, you have to bring things to them,” he reasoned, noting the cost of transportation for rural area folks to travel to vaccination sites.

“The fare to go to May Pen from Mocho costs X. You think they are going to go to May Pen just to take vaccinate? No matter how afraid they are of COVID-19, they are going to stay in their corner in Mocho. You have to recognise the dynamics of your population,” Nation said.

One Clarendon-based teacher, who initially had no interest in taking the jab, told The Gleaner that, based on reports of increased deaths and hospitalisations in the media and what she has seen in her circle of friends, she is now softening her position.

“It’s not that I won’t take it, but you have doctors who say they are not taking it. If they are medical people and they aren’t taking it, why should I? Plus, there was no evidence that the vaccine was working but it seems things are changing. I don’t think they would be so wicked and lie now to say that 96 per cent of those who are in hospital are not vaccinated,” she reasoned.

Nation has deep reproach for local medical practitioners who have been misinforming citizens by telling them to “take sunshine and vitamins” to fight the illness, saying: “A lot of blood is going to be on their hands at the end of this because it’s better to not say anything that give people the wrong information.”

tameka@gleanerjm.com

Ja not considering booster shot

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is also not considering adding a booster shot or third round of inoculation at this time, despite the move in many countries, including the United States, which is slated to begin this process by September.

Citing data indicating diminishing protection from the vaccines over time, the US government has announced plans to make COVID-19 vaccine booster shots available as infections rise from the coronavirus Delta variant.

Persons who have gotten two-dose vaccines will be targeted, Reuters reported on Wednesday, but US officials also estimate that one-dose recipients will also need a booster.

However, in Jamaica’s case, outside of a recommendation from international health agencies, Jamaica will not be considering this.

“There is no recommendation for any third dose or any booster shot, so nobody is looking at that because that is not the recommendation at this time,” Dr Melody Ennis, the director of family health services in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, told The Gleaner.

A joint release issued on August 18, 2021 by the US Department of Health and Human Services said the administration of booster shots “will be needed to maximize vaccine-induced protection and prolong its durability”.