MSJ cautions PM on covid19 'safe zones'

MOVEMENT for Social Justice (MSJ) political leader David Abdulah warned that the Prime Minister's statements about the creation of covid19 "safe zones," which could only be accessed by vaccinated people, could do more harm than good.

At a news conference last Friday in Tobago, Dr Rowley said if in four weeks, the projections continue with low covid19-positive numbers and consistent vaccinations, the aim will be to reopen bars and allow restaurants, gyms, cinemas, and private members 'clubs to open. He said certain aspects of business can become "safe zones" where vaccinated people alone can participate.

Responding to questions on this issue during a virtual news conference on Sunday, Abdulah said over 75 per cent of the population should be vaccinated against covid19 and its variants before talking about covid19 safe zones, which have all kinds of complications.

"The Prime Minister ought not to be making these off-the-cuff statements until the policy has been properly worked out on the basis of the science. Those things have not be worked out."

On Saturday, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said he is examining this matter with respect to public health regulations, state of emergency regulations. administrative and policy decisions.

Al-Rawi said he will speak with Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh about "how we can operationalise that intention within the confines of the law."

Abdulah said if the implementation of covid19 safe zones is not properly planned or executed, it will create false expectations within the population. "You create anxiety and fear and push back by other sectors of the economy. That's not the way to operate in this pandemic when there is so much uncertainty."

He said added to this uncertainty is the emergence of the new mu covid19 variant. At the virtual health news conference on September 1, Principal Medical Officer Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards said in terms of virus surveillance, the Health Ministry collaborates with the UWI Laboratory.

"Once there is a new variant...the required procedures, testing availabilities and kits and so on...are made available. "This of course is a new variant and we will provide confirmation of when we begin testing for this variant."

On the continued effectiveness of vaccines in stock against covid19 and any of its variants, Abdool-Richards said, "We continue to be guided by the World Health Organization (WHO) information and evidence that is provided by the WHO."

Against this background, she said, "We can confirm the available vaccines in TT (AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson)...which are all emergency-licence approved by the WHO... are all effective against the covid19 virus and prevent the covid19 infection."

The mu variant was added to the WHO’s watch list on August 30 after it was detected in 39 countries and found to possess a cluster of mutations that may make it less susceptible to the immune protection many have acquired.

The WHO said the mu variant “has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape”. This variant was first identified in Colombia in January. While the variant makes up less than 0.1 per cent of covid infections globally, it may be gaining ground in Colombia and Ecuador, where it accounts for 39 and 13 per cent of covid cases respectively.

The WHO has not determined whether the mu variant could be more transmissible than the delta variant, the dominant covid19 variant globally at this time.