Letter of the Day | Argument is not done, PM

THE EDITOR, Madam:

One has to take the prime minister’s now infamous statement, ‘argument done’, in context. Jamaica is seemingly battling congruently the three big ‘Cs’: crime, corruption and COVID-19. Evidently, these combined issues are impacting the country’s leadership. Every well-thinking Jamaican should be praying and hoping that the Government will deal with these issues successfully. However, we have to admit that in terms of the management of COVID-19, the ‘argument is not done’ as there are matters which must be urgently addressed. Simply saying that it is mostly the unvaccinated that are ending up in the hospital does not prove causation, as the reverse situation is happening in other countries that have both a high vaccination and hospitalisation rate.

The argument is far from overdue to the many unanswered questions and inexplicable decisions taken during the pandemic.

– Is there a role for early treatment for those who contract COVID-19? I want someone to explain to me very slowly and carefully, so that I can understand. When one is diagnosed with cancer, HIV, diabetes or high blood pressure, early treatment is always recommended. Why is COVID-19 so different? What is driving this very strange approach to fighting COVID-19? Shouldn’t we be stressing early treatment to ensure that fewer persons show up at the hospitals? Can the leadership of the country tell us if they are looking at best practices in other countries, such as India and Mexico, that have successfully utilised an early-treatment protocol?

– Is there a role for natural immunity in the fight against COVID-19?

– There is a seemingly wide divergence between what is being said by the leadership and what is happening on the ground. We are seeing Omicron impacting both the vaccinated and unvaccinated persons in a similar fashion. Leading health professionals in Israel are now saying that after the fourth COVID-19 jab, patients are still getting COVID-19 and spreading it like the unvaccinated. Israel has vaccinated over 80 per cent of its citizens, and the country is now on its fourth round of vaccination. Is there a plan to end the number of boosters, or is it boosters for life?

– Can the Ministry of Health and Wellness explain why the number of deaths is being reported in such a confusing manner? Recently, I heard on a popular radio station of five persons dying from COVID-19 between August 2021 and January 2022. On the following day, this number swelled to 15. I was mightily concerned, only to hear that this was data from October 2021. We respect the hard work of the ministry; however, when they send out data like this they are simply opening themselves to tonnes of speculation and criticism.

It would be good for us to get answers to these questions, so that we can put the various arguments to rest.

MARSHA THOMAS