BELMOPAN, Fri. Dec. 3, 2021– The Minister of Health and Wellness (MOHW), Hon. Michel Chebat, stated in the House of Representatives on Friday that over 60% of Belizeans twelve years and older have been fully vaccinated with one of the several Covid-19 vaccines available in Belize. In a few countries, children between the ages of five and twelve are already getting vaccinated, but that program has not yet started in Belize.
The vaccines, which were developed within a short period of time, have not resulted in 100% immunity among those who were inoculated, but there is clear and strong evidence that persons who have been fully vaccinated are far less likely to suffer severe illness or die if they contract the virus. Despite that knowledge, a sizable portion of Belizeans are reluctant, for various reasons, to submit themselves to the jab.
Experts say one reason that the vaccines have been less than completely successful in the prevention of transmission of the Covid-19 virus is the rapid rate of mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19. Much is still not understood about how effective the vaccines are after long periods, and how effective is the resistance developed by individuals who have contracted the virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and almost all medical personnel in Belize are pushing for increased vaccination among the population, and the MOHW is encouraging Belizeans who haven’t been vaccinated, to do so, and those who have been vaccinated to get a booster. The recent discovery of a new mutation, the Omicron, might be the catalyst to get those who have been hesitant to get the jab, to do so.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus seems unrelenting, with new mutations of the virus taking over faster than older versions can die out. In April last year, schools in Belize were closed after the WHO declared a pandemic, and that same month the entire country was placed on lockdown. The third wave of the pandemic in our country (a pandemic which in total, as of December 3, has claimed 579 lives and officially infected 30,680) does seem to be fizzling out, with the positivity rate hovering around 5% for about a week, after being in double digits for more than a month.
Hopes were high that the pandemic was nearing its end, until the reports came in that this new mutation, Omicron, is now spreading across the globe at an even more rapid pace than did the last deadly one, Delta.
The WHO is yet to make a declaration on the virulence of Omicron, if it is more/less dangerous than the deadly Delta, and the organization says it will take some weeks and it will need to sift through a lot more data before making such determinations. Preliminary reports from some sources are indicating that Omicron appears to be three times more contagious than Delta, that individuals who were previously infected with Covid-19 seem to not have much resistance to it. However, we and the world are holding our collective breaths. These preliminary reports also suggest that Omicron will cause less severe illness than Delta.