By Theresa Goodwin
A leading medical official has expressed fear that the Covid-19 infection rate in Antigua and Barbuda will increase to unexpected levels following the discovery of the the delta variant strain of the virus here.
The last update revealed that the country currently has 148 active cases of the virus.
Dr Jason Belizaire, who is a member of the task force on vaccines, explained that the delta variant is a more aggressive strain in terms of severity and it is also more contagious that any of the other variants.
The medical doctor is also of the belief that the alpha variant was behind the second more deadlier wave of the Covid-19 pandemic seen here in Antigua.
“We have some numbers now to show that the alpha variant was so devastating to us. We had far more people who got it and I think the survivability of the severe coronavirus was worst and I don’t think it will be any better than the delta variant either,” Belizaire said.
He explained further that while a lot more people are vaccinated, he still fears that this may not be enough; however, he remains hopeful that the country will see less deaths.
The medical practitioner also shared that over the past few months he has cared for people 40 years and younger who have either died or had severe cases of the virus.