Minister of Health Sir Molwyn Joseph is warning the public not to become complacent as the country continues to record low numbers of Covid-19 cases.
Antigua and Barbuda’s active case count is the lowest it has been for the year, with only one person currently recorded as being infected with the virus, based on the latest dashboard.
But Minister Joseph said while he welcomes the low numbers, now is not the time to relax.
“I do not want the people of Antigua and Barbuda to entertain any false notion that we are even halfway to a solution for Covid,” he said.
“Covid is going to be with us for the foreseeable future so therefore when we speak about returning to normalcy, I think what we are really talking about is returning to a new normal because some of the things that we are doing now, we will have to continue. Even if we have herd immunity in Antigua and Barbuda, it’s going to be advisable that we continue to wear our masks and do the very basic things like sanitising as well as social distancing for a while,” Joseph said.
Joseph says it is for these reasons that people should not only get vaccinated, but stay committed to the health and safety protocols as well.
“What we should be thinking about is the fact that vaccination works. The evidence is there. The data shows that vaccination works. The other thing that we should not take for granted is the fact that the protocols that have been established in Antigua and Barbuda from the very beginning are very effective. The wearing of masks, social distancing and the other things like building your immune system, practicing good hygiene and sanitizing,” he added.
As of yesterday morning, 34,883 first doses of the Covid-19 vaccines have been administered while 23,844 residents have been fully vaccinated.