Dominica: 75% of COVID positive patients are unvaccinated

National Epidemiologist of Dominica Dr Shalauddin Ahmed stated that unvaccinated people are emerging as the new cases of COVID-19. He noted that all five people who died of coronavirus in the country were not immunized against the virus.

Dr Ahmed noted that in recent days 47 more people tested positive for COVID-19, totalling the number of active cases to 684 as of September 2, 2021. The newly tested positive cases include 11 patients detected through RT-PCR while 673 with Rapid Antigen Testing.

The National Epidemiologist also stated that all active patients range from as less as three weeks old to 103-year-old, while the average age of patients is around 33-years-old.

He said from the past few weeks, there has been an average of 70-cases a day; however, the country has been able to keep the numbers low with the implementation of newer measures.

Furthermore, he noted that 75% of positive people are symptomatic and unvaccinated against the coronavirus. He said the vaccinated individuals who tested positive are mainly asymptomatic or experiencing very mild symptoms. Speaking on the vaccination data of Dominica, Dr Ahmed stated that 44% of the target population is fully vaccinated with two doses, while around 5% have received at least one dose of the vaccine. He advised the wider population to get their shots.

Dr Ahmed stated that vaccination lowers the risk of getting severe virus-related infections and also decreases hospitalizations. Besides this, he also asked the symptomatic people to stay at home and call the COVID-19 hotline numbers.

Epidemiologists asked the public to exercise extreme caution in public places, always wear a face mask, maintain social distancing, and keep frequently touched surfaces clean.

Dominica suddenly experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases at the end of July 2021. The outbreak was caused through a Lot Event attended by hundreds of people, who later tested positive. Officials also blame illegal entry a primary reason contributing to the increase in cases.