Our COVID-19 safe measures work better in a vaccinated population, says Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr James Fong.
He was responding to queries from this newspaper regarding the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) testing recommendations.
The testing agency now advises that vaccinated people be tested for the virus f they come into contact with a COVID-19 patient. Previously, the agency had said that fully vaccinated people did not need to be tested after exposure to the virus unless they were experiencing symptoms.
Dr Fong was questioned on whether the ministry is still of the view that vaccinated people pose minimal risk to their workplace and the people they interact with.
In response, he said vaccines were like roadblocks that hamper and slow down the movement of the virus from one person to another.
Dr Fong remained steadfast on the health measures in place despite the CDC SA’s revising its recommendations and stated that vaccinated people also be tested for the virus if they came into contact with someone with COVID-19, even if they had no symptoms.
“They pose a lower risk because of vaccination,” he said.
“We have the community measures (hands, face, and space COVID-safe measures and the workplace and social gathering conditions) and this means that the virus will have limited space to move in the community.
“The virus depends on moving from one human to another – break that and it just dies out in the community.
“A community with plenty COVID roadblocks is a community ready to control the virus.”
