BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — The Coronavirus pandemic has threatened many aspects of human life, and food security is no exception, according to Ian Chapman, Crops Programme Leader in the Department of Agriculture.

“Through sustainable agriculture, farmers can provide a constant supply of healthy nutritious food, be it meat or fruits and vegetables for public consumption,” said Ian Chapman, Crops Programme Leader in the Department of Agriculture. “A sustainable agricultural support approach to our ministry will ensure and make our food system more productive.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged our farmers to find new ways of creating or improving our nutrition and our market opportunities,” he said. “We need to transform and re-balance the way food is produced here within the Federation.”

Chapman said the production of local crops, and harvesting local meats help to eliminate the unhealthy chemicals that are placed on imported food to preserve them until they reach into the consumers’ hand. The availability of locally grown food ensures that there is a healthier supply of food to satisfy the citizens’ needs for food and nutrition. Additionally, it reduces the fear that citizens may face about the unavailability of food due to the import-export challenges associated with COVID-19.

“We are promoting healthy diets to strengthen our immune system,” said Chapman. “Unhealthy eating has far-reaching consequences that surpass the individual and places a strain on the public health system.”

The panelists agreed that eating healthy helps to minimize the presence of non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension associated with the consumption of unhealthy foods.

Chapman said one key initiative by the Department of Agriculture to help promote healthy eating is the “Farmers Agriculture Assistance Programme that will assist farmers in enhancing their productivity.”

Further support by the Agriculture Department to promote food security and healthy eating as noted by Director Melvin James, focused on preserving the lives of the livestock through the Tick Prevention Programme.

“We were able to make good strides in our Tick Control Programme, in our Pest Surveillance and Disease identification,” said Chapman.

“Over the years, the Tick Prevention Programme, which started in 2018, has contributed significantly to the preservation of livestock,” said James. “Drawing a parallel to demonstrate the effectiveness of the programme, the presence of ticks on the animals didn’t just affect the skin of the animals but also their survival. We had 1,230 animals that we lost; 308 goats, 290 sheep, and worse, affected cattle, over 600 cattle.”

Taking the initiative, the department was able to reduce the presence of ticks on the animals and subsequently the mortality rate, thereby ensuring the security of meat for consumption by locals.

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — Minister of Health, the Honourable Akilah Byron-Nisbett, expressed profound thanks to St. Kitts and Nevis Red Cross Society, which partnered with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the United States Agency for International Development to deliver a brand new ambulance to the Ministry of Health on February 24, at the Joseph N. France General Hospital grounds.

“On behalf of the Ministry of Health, and the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, I wish to extend my sincere thanks to the United States Agency for International Development for this significant donation,” said Mrs, Byron-Nisbett, at the presentation ceremony. “I also wish to convey our profound gratitude to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and to Hester Rawlins executive of St. Kitts and Nevis Red Cross Society for such humanitarian foresight.”

Hon. Byron-Nisbett said that their strong collaborative technical support and the overall vital role they played from the conceptualization of the gift, the engaged enthusiastic discussions, and the persevering actions and engagement with the key stakeholders brought the project to fruition. “We are so very grateful for your commitment.”

Mrs. Byron-Nisbett noted that the receipt of the ambulance is timely and important for the Ministry of Health as it will help the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.

“Such an addition to the existing fleet of ambulances ensures that there is an adequate first respondent mechanism for nationwide medical emergencies,” she said. “Having a large number of EMTs is simply not enough. There must also be the required vehicular capacity to respond in a timely manner.

“With the addition of the new ambulance, the health system will be better able to have an ambulance stationed at the two main satellite institutions, the Mary Charles Hospital and the Pogson Medical Centre,” said Mrs. Byron-Nisbett.

Minister Byron-Nisbett said these ambulances are well equipped and can safely and properly transport to and between hospitals.

She emphasized the importance of the build out of ambulances to the rural areas as persons will no longer have to wait on an ambulance to be deployed from the Joseph N. France General Hospital in Basseterre or the Pogson Medical Centre in Sandy Point.

“This is indeed exciting, and this gesture is such a very good way to commence the year, building our health capacity during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” she said.

According to Hester Rawlins, Director General of the SKNRCS, who also spoke at the presentation ceremony, the donation was possible through the generous funding of the American people through USAID.

“This fully-equipped ambulance was donated as a part of the COVID-19 response project, partially funded by the United States of America,” said Rawlins. “A similar donation of a passenger bus was presented to our National Society as we endeavour to assist the most vulnerable members of our communities, while we strengthen our axillary role to government during these trying times.”

Also, at today’s ceremony, USAID gifted a brand new passenger bus to the SKNRCS.

Dr. Stapleton-Harris stated that the gesture demonstrates USAID’s continued commitment to countries such as St. Kitts and Nevis. She added that it allows the ministry to honour its commitment to provide an improved healthcare system in a holistic manner for the entire population.

She noted that ambulance services are critical to the urgent response to medical and trauma-related emergencies.

“In fact, it is a mandatory 24/7 service. Thus it is envisaged that such an expanded fleet would provide a more efficient emergency medical service, emergency intervention, and timely transport of patients in a variety of situations and environments,” she said. “Undoubtedly, such a system will increase the overall efficiency of our health care service and improve the health outcomes of our people. This is a very strong demonstration in a very tangible manner of strong partnership and genuine concern on the part of USAID and so we are very grateful.”

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — Herd Immunity refers to resistance to the spread of an infectious disease within a population that is based on pre-existing immunity of a high proportion of individuals as a result of previous infection or vaccination.

In the case of COVID-19, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris said that based on research by health experts, vaccinating a large portion of St. Kitts and Nevis’ population can assist in achieving herd immunity.

“When we vaccinate enough of our population, we achieve our goal of reaching what the medical fraternity refers to as herd immunity or what is sometimes called population immunity,” said Prime Minister Harris. “This is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or through previous infections.

“Herd immunity can be achieved once the Federation reaches its vaccination target based on scientific research,” said Dr. Harris. “In the case of the Coronavirus disease the scientific community has estimated that herd immunity comes when between 70-90 percent of the population receive vaccines.”

Dr. Harris encourage everyone to play their part in helping the Federation to achieve herd immunity by getting vaccinated.

“It is extremely important that we in St. Kitts and Nevis and the region achieve this goal,” explained Dr. Harris. “No one should be left behind. Everyone should be interested in protecting him or herself from the dangerous consequences of COVID-19.”

He noted that persons can visit the Newtown, Basseterre, Sandy Point, and Tabernacle Health Centres in St. Kitts, and the Charlestown, Gingerland, and Combermere Health Centers in Nevis to make an appointment to be vaccinated.

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis, along with the other Cabinet Ministers of the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) became the first persons on Nevis to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines on February 24.

The Premier, Ministers Hon. Alexis Jeffers, Deputy Premier, Hon. Eric Evelyn, Hon. Spencer Brand, Hon. Troy Liburd, Hon. Hazel Brandy Williams, and Cabinet colleagues received their first dose of the vaccine at the Charlestown Health Centre.

Brantley, NIA Senior Minister of Health, said his Cabinet is leading by example to demonstrate to the Nevisian public that getting vaccinated against the virus is safe and highly recommended if Nevis is to achieve herd immunity.

“Today is a very historic day for us because the entire Cabinet, led by myself as Premier, and certain healthcare and frontline line workers, all took the step of getting vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Hon. Brantley. “The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is what we have, and we have demonstrated that it is safe and it is the only way to get our people past this COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am delighted that all of our Cabinet colleagues have come out to lead by example and to show the population there is absolutely no risk,” he said. “We look forward to the rest of the population getting vaccinated. We know nobody is safe until everybody is safe. “We encourage one-and-all to go out and get vaccinated. Let’s fight this COVID-19 together and keep Nevis and the Federation safe.”

Hon. Hazel Brandy Williams, NIA Minister of Health, said the jab was quick and virtually painless. She encouraged everyone to make appointments at their nearest health centre to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Several senior health professionals including Dr. Judy Nisbett, Medical Officer of Health in the NIA Ministry of Health and Chair of Nevis’ COVID-19 Task Force, and Chandreka Persaud-Wallace, Matron-designate of the Alexandra Hospital also took their first dose of the vaccine.

St. Kitts and Nevis launched its national vaccination program on February 22, from its first batch of 2,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, courtesy of the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica.

Wednesday’s vaccinations signaled the roll-out of the NIA’s program on Nevis. Frontline workers and at risk persons are among the first wave of persons that will receive the COVID-19 vaccines.

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — After the successful launch of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme on February 22, Dr. Delores Stapleton-Harris, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, said that full and effective implementation of the plan will rely on a good governance structure, given the range of responsibilities, personnel, and the responsiveness that will be demanded as the programme rolls out.

“In fact, we recognize the need to augment and support existing structures for the implementation of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme,” said Dr. Stapleton-Harris.

“In the public health system, a vaccination programme lessens morbidity and mortality caused by infectious diseases at the population level,” said Dr. Stapleton-Harris. “The National Immunization Programme of St. Kitts and Nevis is aimed at providing safe efficient and effective administration of all necessary vaccines to the residents who indicate their willingness to receive it.

“The COVID-19 Vaccine therefore will be administered as part of this existing system,” she said. “Noteworthy also is the fact that relative to existing immunization programmes and policies the Ministry of Health makes policy decisions based on advice from the National Immunization Committee, which is subsequently implemented through community health services via the health centres within the Federation.”

Dr. Stapleton-Harris said that the National Immunization Committee was therefore tasked to support the Ministry of Health and the Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) to deliver an effective COVID-19 Vaccination Programme that meets best practice and good governance.

“It is also responsible for managing vaccination procurement, storage and distribution under validated call chain conditions, immunization training, and providing communication materials about the vaccine to the public,” said Dr. Stapleton-Harris.

Dr. Stapleton-Harris noted that the strategy aligns with the World Health Organization and the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on the vaccine programme implementation.

The Ministry of Health along with the Office of the Epidemiologist will also play a pivotal role, she said. “The Epidemiological Unit will collect, analyse and public the immunization data during the rollout of our vaccine programme in the Federation, liaise closely with our regional partners such as CARPHA and PAHO, and the findings will ultimately perform further planning and policy development.”

Dr. Stapleton Harris said that the ministry intends to implement a comprehensive, robust communication strategy to guide the education campaign to inform the public and generate the expected demand for the vaccine.

“You would have noticed that such a campaign has commenced utilizing traditional and digital media to disseminate the relevant content,” said Dr. Stapleton-Harris. “Key stakeholders will be engaged to ensure success and in keeping with an all of society approach adopted at the beginning of the response.”

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