Sir Molwyn credits booster shots for low number of COVID cases after Carnival, but patient says self-tests prove otherwise

As the country’s active COVID-19 cases linger in the 50’s following a very active party season, Minister of Health Sir Molwyn Joseph is attributing the low rate of infection to the administering of booster shots.

Joseph says there has been no major surge of the virus after Carnival 2022, and he concludes that the current number of infections is evidence that the boosters are working. Accordingly, he continues to encourage residents to get vaccinated and boosted.

Joseph reportedly drew this to his Cabinet colleagues’ attention, during their meeting on Wednesday, August 17, the first since the Carnival festivities concluded. He contrasted it with the large-scale events held before the annual summer festival that led to as many as 250 infections after.

But while Joseph is still attempting to justify the COVID-19 policies of the Browne Administration, some persons are pointing out that the vaccination numbers have long stalled and the number of booster shots given has not been disclosed.

“Quite a lot of people are now sick with COVID,” a woman who is currently fighting the virus tells REAL News, explaining that three other members of her family – in separate households – have been infected since Carnival.

“People are taking the home tests and not bothering to check a doctor, because COVID is just like the flu now,” she says, adding that persons are usually “back to normal in a week or so.”

Meanwhile, the most recent dashboard released by the Ministry of Health shows 44 new virus infections as of August 15.

Ten of these cases were recorded on August 11; 16 on August 12; and 18 on August 15 out of 672 samples processed at the hospital.

Forty-two people recovered from the virus during this period, and there are three hospitalized cases said to be mild.

Therefore, Antigua and Barbuda’s total confirmed COVID-19 cases stand at 8,895, inclusive of 55 active infections.