Fingers crossed despite alarming COVID-19 developments

HOPE remains alive and well that the various vaccines being rapidly brought to the fore to combat the novel coronavirus will prove pivotal in ending the pandemic.

However, reports of an accelerated surge in infections, and a new strain spreading through sections of England, come as gloomy reminder of the continuing menace.

The fear was always there that the northern hemisphere winter would speed up infection rates and bring additional complications, especially in Europe, North America, and northern Asia.

Perhaps that’s what we are seeing as Christmas approaches.

Word yesterday was that the British Government has imposed a stay-at-home order for millions of people in sections of south-eastern England, including London, in an effort to slow the spread of the new variant. The latter is said to be significantly more infectious than its parent, though we are hearing there is as yet no evidence that it is more deadly.

Up to yesterday, a growing number of Britain’s European neighbours had banned travel to that country in response.

These are alarming developments that authorities in Jamaica and our Caribbean neighbours will have to watch with great care at this, the start of the winter tourist season.

The global picture as of yesterday was that COVID-19 has killed more than 1.68 million people since the outbreak emerged in China last December and over 76.2 million cases have been registered. On the plus side, we are told that more than 48.5 million people are now considered recovered.

At the local level, Jamaica yesterday had 12,224 recorded cases, dating back to March. The death toll so far is 286. As is the case elsewhere, the old, infirmed and those with serious underlying illnesses are most at risk.

Jamaicans are already well aware that there are no easy solutions. As has been repeatedly said in this space and elsewhere, the national economy has been hit hard by the pandemic over the past nine months and there is now very little wiggle room. Even as every effort is made to keep people safe using recommended protocols, the country has to remain open for business. Locking down is not an affordable option.

A real worry is that the Christmas and new year holiday season will lead to fresh spikes in infections because of festivities and gatherings as is traditional at this time of year.

The onus now will be on individuals to take responsibility for their own safety as well as that of those around them. People must strive to minimise infection and spread by obeying recommended protocols, including the wearing of masks, maintaining social/physical distancing, and staying home as much as possible. Thankfully, work-fromhome arrangements, where feasible, are now well established and accepted.

And, while Jamaicans have been told that only about 16 per cent of the population will gain access to COVID-19 vaccines in 2021, reports of massive vaccination programmes, planned or already begun, in tourist source markets should provide some level of comfort. That should mean, it seems to this newspaper, that the risk of importing the virus will be much reduced, if not eliminated over time, once the vaccines work well.

We keep fingers crossed. Except for the views expressed in the column above, the articles published on this page do not necessarily represent the views of the Jamaica Observer.