St Kitts and Nevis: COVID entry protocol to stay intact as infection surges, says CMO Laws

St Kitts and Nevis: As the world has been witnessing uproar in the number of cases of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health experts in St Kitts and Nevis are not in favour of the change in the entry protocols related to the virus in the Federation.  

The announcement was made by Chief Medical Officer Dr Hazel Laws during the Cabinet Press Conference on Wednesday, June 29, 2022. While addressing the issue, Dr Laws stated that the decision-making process is driven by scientific data.

She added, “The country has welcomed round 4,402 inbound travellers between June 16 and 26th, 2022. Fifty-four percent of these travellers belonged to the United States of America, and if the data has been considered, the US has been witnessing a significant surge in the cases of COVID-19 driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariant of the Omicron [variant].”

Outlining the COVID-19 data of the United Kingdom and Europe, Dr Laws asserted that these countries are also facing a surge in the infections related to the virus. In addition to that, the twin-island Federation also reported 100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 between June 27 to June 29, 2022. 

She stressed,” The entry protocols of the country have been made by analyzing the situation and data, and it is not wise to make any change at this time. At this point in time, our focus should remain on the measures to combat the present wave of COVID-19 before any change in the rules and guidelines of the virus.” 

Medical Chief of Staff of the Joseph N. France General Hospital,Dr Cameron Wilkinson, said that the COVID entry protocols ensure significant protection from viral infection and act as a barrier. He added that several doctors and nurses are ill due to the pandemic, and combating the number of cases is important to ensure the health system is not overwhelmed.

He indicated, “As per the guidance ensured by the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no one size fits all approach to this viral infection, and so when people speak about the United States dropping their entry protocols and why can’t St Kitts do that, we have to take into consideration our healthcare system.”