BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO
PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare has warned that if the Delta variant of covid-19 gets to communities in Solomon Islands before they are vaccinated, people will suffer because it is highly transmissible.
Sogavare echoed this to encourage people to get vaccinated due to Delta variant, which WHO has described as the ‘fittest and fastest’ variant of covid-19, being highly active in our neighbour Fiji.
“The Delta variant is highly transmissible. If the Delta variant gets to our communities before they are vaccinated, our people will suffer. We will see not just an explosion of COVID-19 cases, but sadly, we will also see an explosion in deaths due to COVID-19 infection,” he said.
He said the current outbreak of the Delta Variant in Fiji started with just two people returning from India in April this year. At that time Fiji only had 67 cases and two deaths since the beginning of the Pandemic. However, from mid-April to yesterday, Fiji registered an additional 6,094 cases, 28 deaths (in two and a half months).
“Fellow citizens if COVID-19 breached our borders, our quarantine stations and get into the community, the picture in Solomon Islands would be much worse than what is occurring in Fiji right now.
“This is the reason we must all get vaccinated to ensure our population is safe even if COVID-19 breached our borders.
“If all adults in Solomon Islands are vaccinated, then we have a chance of protecting our population below 18 years of age that cannot be vaccinated.
“I encourage all those who have been vaccinated, to share your testimonies. Some will have had mild side effects. Stand up to give people the correct stories. Encourage all adults to get vaccinated. If you had some side effect with the first dose, there is much less side effect with the second dose,” Sogavare said.
He adds by urging people using social media to use the platforms to encourage people to get vaccinated, not to create doubts.
“As I had mentioned in my previous address, we only recorded 4 cases of reactions, which our health experts have treated on the spot. All four people are well and healthy. They are now protected against COVID-19,” Sogavare said.
