Health
Health Authorities Prepare Island for T20 Cricket World Cup Amid Disease Concerns: Chief Medical Officer Provides Updates
Health authorities in Barbados have implemented robust measures to safeguard against disease outbreaks ahead of the T20 Cricket World Cup, with the chief medical officer declaring the COVID-19 pandemic over. Surveillance systems are in place to monitor public health concerns.
3 min read
Originally published by barbadostoday.bb (opens in new tab)
Health authorities have implemented robust measures to safeguard the island against potential disease outbreaks ahead of the T20 Cricket World Cup, which is set to welcome thousands of visitors in the coming weeks, the country’s chief medical officer has assured.
And the island’s top doctor has declared the COVID-19 pandemic that killed 650 Barbadians from more 100 000 cases is effectively over and the Ministry of Health has stopped vaccinating citizens.
In an exclusive interview with Barbados TODAY on Monday, Dr Kenneth George said: “We have put surveillance systems in place. We have trained several persons not particularly in public health with respect to managing unusual outbreaks.”
With tourists expected from both traditional and non-traditional markets, Dr George highlighted the government’s concerns regarding certain non-COVID diseases.
“There are other diseases of public health concern which we are monitoring,” he said. “We have made sure that our Barbados Drug Service has the appropriate drugs
available for the treatment of any cases of tuberculosis, malaria…because, when people travel, they travel sometimes with the disease.”
Despite the anticipated influx of foreign visitors during the prestigious tournament, the chief medical advisor expressed optimism about the public health situation.
He said the outlook for the World Cup “is good”.
“I don’t expect any major outbreak of any serious disease,” he said, emphasising the importance of proper food handling practices “to protect the food source for Barbadians and visitors alike”.
In a new development, Dr George reported that while “a few” COVID-19 cases emerge occasionally, there is currently “no active” vaccine programme related to the virus.
“We haven’t given AstraZeneca vaccine for about 18 months. There has been no AstraZeneca vaccine on the market in Barbados for a while. The COVID pandemic is over…we still get a few cases, and there is no active vaccine in Barbados for COVID at the moment.”
This revelation comes after AstraZeneca’s decision to withdraw its COVID-19 vaccine from further production, citing a shift in demand towards newer, updated vaccines due to the emergence of new variants.
While the vaccine was estimated to have saved millions of lives from more than three billion doses, it has also been liked to rare, and sometimes fatal, blood clots.
