Health Minister St Clair \u201cJimmy\u201d Prince, has acknowledged that the health care system in St Vincent and the Grenadines is stretched, but coping amidst the latest surge in the coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo far, though stretched, the system has been able to cope as we have already put certain measures in place in anticipation of the surge,\u201d Prince told reporters, adding \u201cthis does not mean that the danger of being overwhelmed is not real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have already converted two wards the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital into COVID-19 wards, and we have identified a third in case it is needed. This is in addition to our Argyle facility and our stepped down facility,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
St Vincent and the Grenadines has been experiencing an upsurge in COVID-19 cases since September 8, recording 2,395 new cases of the virus, slightly more than it had recorded since the first case was diagnosed on March 11, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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During that same time, the island has recorded 44 deaths and as of Thursday, health authorities have recorded 4,786 cases of COVID-19 and 56 COVID-19 related deaths, while 2,974 people have recovered and 1,756 cases remain active.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prince said that the development has implications for the non-COVID patients and the ability of medical personnel to dispense care in the normal way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese have not been normal times, especially for our health services providers. And I wish to take this opportunity to thank and commend all staff for the wonderful work they have been doing in keeping the nation safe in this special period,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMany of these workers have done double shifts at the various departments of the hospital, at Argyle, at the polyclinics and health centres, and even on the road with our vaccination drives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThose of you who have stepped up to the plate in what is one of the most difficult periods in our short history, I applaud you and wish you continued strength as we continue to fight in this protracted war against this pandemic. I thank everybody who has been pulling their weight here at this time. Let\u2019s look at the status now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prince noted the increasing number of COVID-19 positive cases and deaths across the country and encouraged people to get vaccinated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd the faces are getting more and more familiar to most people. And the deaths are getting closer to our families. I encourage all Vincentians to take all the precautionary measures including vaccination,\u201d he said and extended condolences to the families of the nation\u2019s COVID-19 victims,\u201d he said, adding \u201cwe continue to see an increase in hospitalisation for persons requiring care for COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Health Minister said that at least three types of vaccines are available here free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTake it while you can get it free. While the numbers are increasing, we are still not where we need to be. We still are trying to get people to take the vaccine. It is important; it is free; it is available; it is accessible and it works,\u201d he said<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThose of you who are still sitting on the fence regarding vaccination take a look around you and observe the havoc the pandemic is having here in St Vincent and the Grenadines. People are getting sicker; others are dying; there is no school; the economy is suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProtect yourself, protect your loved ones, and protect your country. Get vaccinated now; forget about those people who still look at you askance if you take the vaccine. It is in your interest. It is in the country\u2019s interest,\u201d Prince said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Health Minister St Clair \u201cJimmy\u201d Prince, has acknowledged that the health care system in St Vincent and the Grenadines is stretched, but coping amidst the latest surge in the coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. \u201cSo far, though stretched, the system has been able to cope as we have already put certain measures in place in anticipation of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":25661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[244,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-covid-19-update","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\n