A health official from Seychelles has said the country is expected to roll out its COVID-19 vaccination plan this week, amidst rising and spreading cases of the virus in the country to other islands of the archipelago.
The islands of Praslin and La Digue, which are the second- and third-most populated islands in the region, recorded their first cases of infections and suspected cases in the local community in the last several days.
As the region prepares for possibly more cases of the virus, the Public Health Commissioner Jude Gedeon confirmed in a press conference on Monday that it had received communication from the World Health Organisation (WHO) in regards to the SINNOPHARM anti-COVID-19 vaccine the country received as a donation from the United Arabs Emirates (UAE). The doses, which numbered a total of 50,000, arrived in the island nation late last month.
Jude Gedeon told the gathering that the health authorities were meeting to conclude their roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination plan. Gedeon did, however, warn that “the effects of taking the vaccine will only be after the second dose has been taken,” meaning that before the vaccine can become effective, it will take between three to six weeks.
The country’s Head of State President Wavel Ramkalawan said he will lead by example and take the vaccine first in Seychelles 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean, after which health professionals will take the vaccine.
The Public Health Commissioner stressed that following guidelines such as wearing masks, observing good hygiene and social distancing remain the surest method of protection against the pandemic remains. “We each have to protect ourselves. This is the way we can break the chain of transmission and bring this pandemic under control in our country!” he reiterated.
However, the doctor in the could not estimate how many other positive cases should be expected, although he said that there could be more, nor could he say at what number the infection rate would peak at and when.
As of at 3 p.m. January 4, the country had recorded 98 active COVID-19 cases, of whom 58 are Seychellois and six health care workers. Since the first case in a cluster of community transmissions broke out last week, Seychelles has been experiencing a rate of around 12 new cases daily. The island nation also saw its first virus related death on Sunday, a 57-year-old Seychellois.
Despite a sudden spike in the number of positive COVID19 cases among Seychelles’ native population on the main island, Mahe and the third biggest island of Silhouette, other inner islands have remained without recording any cases.
