Health
TCI: Health Minister to propose end to face coverings, younger vaccine takers at Cabinet
#TurksandCaicos, May 18, 2021 – A proposal at the next Turks and Caicos Islands Cabinet meeting could dramatically alter health protocols for fully vaccinated individuals; it could also see the age for Covid-19 vaccines lowered to match the United States.
When cabinet meets on Wednesday it is the intention of Hon E. Jay Saunders, Minister of Health to present proposals for Turks and Caicos to end the need for face coverings for fully vaccinated individuals and to open vaccination to younger residents.
Deputy Premier, E. Jay Saunders, in a one on one with Magnetic Media admits he personally finds ‘agreeable’ the new measures in the United States where face coverings are no longer required for some people and where younger people can take the vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNtech’s successful clinical trial of teenagers is concluded and its findings accepted. The study enrolled 2,260 adolescents ages 12-15 and last week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the shots for children from 12 to 15.
The vaccine in the TCI was already approved for residents as young as 16 years old.
While there are some who believe face coverings should be continued, as the pandemic is far from over. There are more who express, fully vaccinated individuals need to experience some kind of ‘reward’ for their voluntary decision to respond favourably to Governments’ calls to take the new vaccine.
Already in Turks and Caicos there are perks for taking the vaccine. Fully vaccinated residents are permitted to travel into the country on their (Turks and Caicos only) vaccination cards and businesses with all staff vaccinated are allowed double the capacity within their establishments. Taxi Drivers who are vaccinated are also allowed to carry more passengers.
The US Centers for Disease Control still advises vaccinated people should wear masks on planes and trains, and at airports, transit hubs, mass transit and places like hospitals and doctor’s offices; perhaps TCI will take a similar stance.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
September 29, 2023 – In a clear sign that the global community has moved past the emergency stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic; the World Health Organization (WHO) is suspending its weekly COVID updates and migrating to a monthly format.
The WHO has, for the duration of the pandemic, been more cautious about the pulling back of restrictions and
reopening of borders than other country-based agencies.
In a September 1 report, they advised: “Please note that this is the last edition of the COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update. Moving forward, as WHO transitions its COVID-19 surveillance from an emergency response to long-term COVID-19 disease prevention, control and management, we will be providing updates every four weeks.”
The WHO, along with other health agencies like the US Centers for Disease Control, had been warning about the reduced reliability of COVID-19 data because of less robust testing worldwide for some time.
The disease was downgraded from a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May 2023.
New boosters are still being approved and the WHO is predicting that the disease will have to be controlled with yearly vaccines as variants continue to emerge much like the Flu virus.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
September 29, 2023 – COVID-19 is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, but the disease is still present and can still affect the population including children.
Cough fever and difficulty breathing are only some of the symptoms that young children and babies might experience when infected with the viral illness, according to a report from Johns Hopkins Medicine. 
Other symptoms include muscle or body aches; sore throat; loss of taste or smell; diarrhea; headache; fatigue; nausea or vomiting; congestion or runny nose.
Children may not be eloquent enough to properly convey their illness so parents are advised to pay close attention to their complaints and visible symptoms.
Though COVID-19 can be a mild disease for most, there are some cases that warrant immediate emergency medical attention the hospital says. These include:
- Difficulty breathing or catching his or her breath
- Inability to keep down any liquids
- confusion or inability to awaken
- Bluish lips
Both COVID and the flu tend to spike during the winter flu season so parents are advised to take precautions against them including mask wearing in high risk areas and frequent hand washing.
Dana Malcolm
Staff Writer
#TurksandCaicos, September 29, 2023 – Hypertension affects 1 in 3 adults worldwide, and if countries do not scale up coverage tens of millions of people will die. That’s according to a first-of-its-kind report on the global effects of hypertension from the World Health Organization.
The September 19th report indicated that the number of people living with hypertension has doubled in less than 30
years, between 1990 and 2019, from 650 million to 1.3 billion and nearly half of the affected are unaware.
The WHO is now calling on all countries including the Turks and Caicos to invest in the prevention, detection and management of hypertension as a matter of urgency.
The organization crunched the numbers to show countries what more focused programs could do.
“An increase in the number of patients effectively treated for hypertension to levels observed in high-performing countries could prevent 76 million deaths, 120 million strokes, 79 million heart attacks, and 17 million cases of heart failure between now and 2050,” it said.
Along with saving lives, the WHO says it can also decrease spending on health. Health is usually the largest portion of the TCI budget. The cost of preventing and managing the disease versus treating its effects is massive.
“The prevention, early detection and effective management of hypertension are among the most cost-effective interventions in health care and should be prioritized by countries as part of their national health benefit package offered at a primary care level. The economic benefits of improved hypertension treatment programs outweigh the costs by about 18 to 1.”
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