Medical Officer for Westmoreland Urges Continued Vigilance Against Covid-19

Medical Officer of Health for Westmoreland, Dr. Marcia Graham, is urging residents of the parish to remain vigilant in protecting themselves against the coronavirus (COVID-19).
“If you do not have to go on the road, stay home. If you do not have to be out late, although the curfew hours have been [adjusted], stay home. Keep yourself as safe as possible and if you are not feeling well, give us [the health department] a call,” she advised.
Dr. Graham was addressing the monthly meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation in Savanna-la-Mar on Thursday (July 8).
She is encouraging persons to stay home if they are feeling sick. She noted that COVID-19 tests can be accessed at the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital and the Savanna-la-Mar, Whitehouse, and Darliston health centres.
She said that the sooner persons do the test, then the health department will be able to do contact tracing and ensure that persons go into quarantine and isolation to prevent a spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, Dr. Graham noted that, currently, the health department is only administering second doses of the vaccine and implored persons who are due their follow-up shot to make an appointment as soon as possible.
She said that the department will resume administering first doses shortly.
Dr. Graham also encouraged persons to continue protecting themselves from the virus even if they are fully vaccinated.

“The fact of the matter is that getting the vaccine does not prevent you 100 per cent from getting COVID-19 and it does not prevent you, if you are infected, from transmitting the virus. It has, however, been very effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths. That has been the main benefit of the vaccine; it has saved lives,” she said.