Dickson Igwe, socio-political columnist
The Virgin Islands – like the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar- should have been approaching herd immunity and getting back to normal. Instead conspiracy theories and anti vaccinators have held the country back.
Now the Virgin Islands is back where it started in early 2020. All the gains by the prudence of a Virgin Islands Party Government that at least got it right with the pandemic science, have been rolled back by sheer ignorance.
Had the British Virgin Islands been at least 80% vaccinated with a first dose- which would have been easily done with the aid of the UK Astra Zeneca Vaccine roll out- this present health crisis would not have been visited upon us.
Now, there are no guarantees. Will schools return to normal in September? Will businesses allow unvaccinated employees work side by side with the vaccinated? Will the critical economic pillar of tourism suffer further trauma? Will there be a return to recession and poverty?
The preceding are some of the hard questions that will shortly be answered.
The USA and UK, two countries that suffered the most from the pandemic are feeling optimistic. Why? Infections, illnesses, and deaths are falling significantly as a result of massive vaccine roll outs.
The USA, like the Virgin Islands, fell into the anti vaccine narrative early on, mainly driven by Evangelicals and Conspiracy theorists.
However a new Biden Presidency took a hard right turn, and moved in the direction of science. The result is a decline in the infection and death rate.
The UK too made huge errors by failing to lockdown early, and that cost thousands of lives. The UK led Astra Zeneca Vaccine Research and Roll Out Program pulled the country from the precipice.
Today the Virgin Islands could have been where Gibraltar is today with the population getting back to normal. Instead a strong anti science religious culture has kept the country back.
A second pandemic wave probably driven by a Delta Variant has visited fear and anxiety upon the land.
The hope is that strong hygiene and medical protocols will keep the surge from further increase. But that is a hope, not certainty. Had the country been approaching herd immunity today the situation would be greatly different, with a safe and confident population.
Instead we are back at square one.
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