The Seychelles archipelago is 115 islands with around 100,000 people living on eight of them. However, some 90% live on the main island Mahé, where the economy relies on tourists to supplement agricultural production. The government sheltered the nation from international tourism in 2020, while vaccinating the population intensively. Now Reuters reports a COVID surge in well-vaccinated Seychelles.
What are the Facts, What’s Behind This?
The Seychelles Health Ministry alerted World Health Organization, after it discovered a concerning trend. More than a third of people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the previous week already had a full vaccination. But, Reuters says the majority of those who tested positive did not have the first jab, or had only received one dose.
The symptoms and side effects were also revealing. Nobody who had the full dose had died during that week. While by contrast almost all those requiring treatment for severe or critical symptoms were not vaccinated. The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is assessing the data to determine and understand the trends.
COVID Surge in Well-Vaccinated Seychelles Despite Protection
The Seychelles qualifies for the list of most heavily-vaccinated nations. The WHO reports almost 60% of the population have had their two doses. Some 43% had AstraZeneca jabs, while the other 57% received the Sinopharm vaccine. Perhaps we should not be too surprised about what is happening in Seychelles.
Sinopharm has 79% efficacy according to trials, while AstraZeneca only scored 76%. However, the timing of the COVID surge in well-vaccinated Seychelles is down to the human factor, according to the government. Because it says the population is dropping its guard as the vaccine program continues.
The island archipelago re-imposed curbs on movement when the latest news broke, according to Reuters. This involved closing schools, cancelling sports events, and banning mingling of households according to Bloomberg. There are lessons we can learn for ourselves from the Seychelles, as the island nation battles to regain control.
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Preview Image: Seychelles Daily Cases
