BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AS if battling the Coronavirus pandemic is not enough, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is currently dealing with a host of national security challenges from Dengue Fever to crime, from the pandemic to the potential fallout from the eruption of La Soufriere volcano.
The Government is now looking to curtail the problems that, according to some, has reached the point of being uncontrolled.
The island has recorded over 1,800 confirmed cases of Dengue infections from January 2020 to January 2021, with seven deaths recorded for the same period - an issue that Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves noted needs addressing.
In a national address to the nation, the Prime Minister revealed that between March 11, 2020 and January 17, 2021 there have been 494 cases of COVID-19 reported, with 128 being imported and a total of 374 being active currently.
The island recently recorded two deaths resulting from the virus and 358 local cases are now being investigated by health officials.
Now, the island chain is dealing with an active La Soufriere volcano, which is described by seismic officials as an effusive eruption, meaning that there is a steady flow of lava from the dome of the volcano.
That eruption forced officials on the island to lift the alert level to Orange, which is the third-highest level for volcanic activity on the island; and Dr. Gonsalves noted that the impact of any major eruption could have significant consequences in not only the short to medium term but “over the long haul”.
He acknowledged that these problems must be tackled effectively, alluding to the fact that the raw data from health officials “tell a worrying story” for the island with regards to the virus.
In referencing neighbouring territories of Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Lucia, which all have cluster cases, the outspoken regional leader disclosed that between March 11 and December 20 of last year, there were 110 positive PCR tests confirmed.
The island saw a spike in its case numbers over the last three weeks, similar to that in Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda and St. Lucia, with a tripling of the numbers.
Health officials reported 384 confirmed cases between December 28th and January 17, with the first set of deaths being recorded.
“Why the increase in these positive cases of COVID-19 from 110 in the first nine and a half months, between March 11 to December 27, 2020 to 384 positives in less than three weeks between December 28, 2020 and now?” questioned Gonsalves.
According to the Prime Minister, officials have attributed the spike to several factors, including recurring breaches in quarantine protocols, increased arrivals by air for the Christmas/New Year season, numerous social gatherings and the general non-adherence by the population to the public health advisories when it comes to COVID-19.
Another area of contention is that of homicides, and Dr. Gonsalves disclosed that there were 32 homicides on record for last year with there also being an increase in the number of cases of the Wounding with Intent.
