Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, is full of praise for the Dominican government for effectively eliminating COVID-19 from the country. Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) member, Zarr Emmanuel, also commended the Skerrit-led administration for health protocols put in place to manage the coronavirus crisis, while Dr. Dale Dangleben, a US-based surgeon, stated that people must cooperate with the government to fully overcome the challenges of the pandemic.
Dr. Etienne praised Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, the Ministry of Health, and healthcare professionals who put their lives on the line to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and cater to infected patients in medical facilities. She also thanked the general populace for striving to adhere to safety guidelines implemented by the government to prevent the transmission of the disease.
The PAHO director, however, warned people against wearing their face masks under their chin and participating in large gatherings.
“I see people wearing masks below their chin or below their nose,” Etienne noted. “You need to wear masks and you need to wear them properly. We need to ensure social distancing, we need to ensure that we wash hands frequently and avoid congregating.”
Dr. Carissa Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
CCM member Zarr Emmanuel revealed that there are 339 active COVID-19 cases in St. Vincent with 62 new cases occuring overnight. He said Dominicans must watch out and be vigilant against the pandemic.
St. Vincent has a population of 110,000 people, so in actuality what we see is 6% rate occuring in the country today and that’s very high. So we in Dominica are appealing again to our health department, to our medical doctors, and the whole health industry to be vigilant; and for Dominica…we that make up the population on the island…be vigilant, wear your masks when it is necessary, do your hygiene and social distancing…
Zarr Emmanuel
Dr. Dale Dangleben, a surgeon and author based in the United States, stated that he has received his COVID-19 vaccine injection and now protected against the disease. He stated that about 15-20% of blacks do not trust the vaccine because of the way black people had been treated in the past.
He said up to 32 million people around the world have been vaccinated against the pandemic and some rich white folks pay up to $25,000 to get ahead of the line for vaccination, underscoring the importance of getting the vaccination. He urged blacks to overcome their cultural bias and embrace the inoculation when it gets to the Caribbean.
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