Deyalsingh: Closed borders helped keep covid19 numbers down

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh is grateful to the Prime Minister and National Security Minister Stuart Young for making the difficult but necessary decision of keeping the borders closed for the safety of the people of TT.

Speaking to Sunday Newsday at his ministry in Port of Spain, on December 31, he said if the borders were open the new variants of covid19 from the UK and South Africa, which were 50 to 70 per cent more transmissible than the original virus, would be prevalent in TT.

“The government’s policy of closed borders is what has saved this country. I know we have taken a lot of licks for it but look at where we are.”

Up to Saturday, there were 127 deaths, four new cases, and 355 active cases. Saturday was the tenth consecutive day of reporting less than 20 new cases per day and on Wednesday the number of active cases dipped below 400 to 378.

He said he regretted the deaths, the latest of which was reported on Thursday, but the case load per capita and case fatality ratio were some of the best in the world as the global case fatality ratio was around three per cent while TT’s was 1.77 per cent.

“Both the active cases and the death rates have gone down significantly and that is testimony, not only to the ministry’s leadership, but we could not have attained these figures without leadership at the highest political level.”

He said Dr Rowley charted a course based on science and the rest of the country responded, making it a team effort across the country. He especially thanked the business and religious communities for standing with the government and obeying the regulations even though they were adversely affected.

He singled out CEO of the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Gabriel Faria, and other business chambers, the casinos and the new interim president of the Barkeepers and Operators Association of TT, Satesh Moonasar for praise.

He recalled meeting with Moonasar and the organisations’s vice-president last month saying they had a cordial meeting. Deyalsingh also congratulated him on understanding the position of the government.

“I tend to put myself in their position so I understand where they are coming from. I think the best thing we can do as far as the ministry and these associations, is talk to them. Dialogue overcomes a lot of these positions.”

He was also proud that the parallel health care system was a success and the normal health care system continued to operate and address non-covid19 medical matters.

He believed the challenges of 2020 brought out the best in the people of TT and expressed pride in the way most people responded to the restrictions and regulations.

“We could not have achieved these year-end numbers without the involvement of the population so I’m proud of that response.”

He expressed this pride even as he noticed some people were becoming lax in following the regulations saying it was understandable that they had covid fatigue.

“To ask people to change the lifestyle that they have been accustomed to for years and decades and generations to simply switch, I understand that.

“But now we have become victims of our own success because you would notice whenever the case loads go down, people have a sense that they could breathe and they could relax. And because we have done so remarkably well, we are now suffering from that were people feel it’s a time to free up and party with Christmas and Old Year’s night and stop wearing masks and stop the social distancing.”

Asked if he was tired of repeating himself, of covid19, and of all the extra work associated with the virus he said he was so focussed on what he had to do that mental and physical fatigue did not register.

“I take a lot of comfort when I visit the health facilities. I take so much comfort from the support of heath care workers that whatever burden I feel, it’s a shared burden, it is lifted and it gives me the energy and passion to keep on fighting this thing.”

Deyalsingh said if the numbers continued to look good, people could look forward to the physical reopening of schools for some students by February 8. They could also anticipate a covid19 vaccine programme depending on WHO approvals.

He said the government was pursuing the acquisition of vaccines through two fronts – the Covax facility; and directly with vaccine manufacturers such as Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm from China.

“Once we have a vaccine that has met all regulatory approvals, either through the Covax facility or with this bilateral talks we are having, we are hoping that by March we could start our vaccination programme.”

He asked that people continue the fight against the virus by strictly adhering to health guidelines and regulation so that everyone could look forward to a brighter year.