VICTORIA, Seychelles (AP) – The island nation of the Indian Ocean, Seychelles, had one of the first launches of the COVID-19 vaccine in the world and, this month, intends to innovate again by achieving the so-called “herd immunity”.
In an interview with the Associated Press, President Wavel Ramkalawan said the goal was to be reached in mid-March, “when we would have vaccinated 70,000 of our people. This represents 70% because our population is 100,000. “
The country is heavily dependent on tourism, and when the COVID-19 vaccinations in Seychelles started in January, some workers in the tourism industry were the first to receive them, along with health professionals and the president himself.
At the end of February, about 44% of vaccinees had received a second injection.
The country has benefited from the so-called vaccination diplomacy. Its vaccination campaign started in January with 50,000 doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine donated by the United Arab Emirates, a close commercial partner, according to the Seychelles News Agency. Emirati airline Etihad Airways has a substantial stake in Air Seychelles.
And India donated 50,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India. The Seychelles government, which has a significant population of Indian descent, said it had purchased an additional 40,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to have enough to inoculate 70,000 people.
“We have a lot of good friends who love us,” Vanessa Lesperance, a doctor on the Indian Ocean island, told AP last month. “It made it easier for us to get a steady supply of vaccines.”
She added: “We are looking forward to returning to normal life.” But Dr. Sanjeev Pugazhendi, from the government’s health ministry, said the “new normal” in Seychelles will still include wearing masks, hand washing and social detachment at meetings, which “I think are here to stay”.
These measures can last for years, depending on the distribution of the vaccine in the rest of the world, the duration of vaccine immunity and other factors.
“There will always be a continuous COVID risk … until and unless the rest of the world can catch up with it too,” said Pugazhendi.
The so-called herd immunity is achieved when a sufficient number of people are protected by means of infection or vaccination to hinder the spread of a virus. The exact limit for the coronavirus is unknown, although some experts suggest that at least 70% of the population would need to be protected to keep the virus under control. The emergence of new worrying versions of the coronavirus, however, further complicates the picture.
Since the start of the pandemic, Seychelles has had 2,849 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 11 deaths, according to the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The first two positive cases from Seychelles were confirmed on March 14, 2020, in a couple from Seychelles who had returned from a trip to Italy.
The country, like most other African nations, quickly imposed a nationwide blockade, in which most stores, businesses and schools were closed for three weeks. The airport was closed and ships were prevented from bringing tourists.
Restrictions continue in public meetings, restaurants and bars. Tourists flying to Seychelles are required to have recent coronavirus negative PCR tests and have a seven-day quarantine period at a designated hotel with a negative PCR test at the end.
The seven-day average of new daily cases has dropped in the past two weeks, from 49 new cases per 100,000 people on February 15 to 32 new cases per 100,000 people on March 1, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
COVID-19 vaccines in Seychelles are voluntary and free. After those on the front lines were vaccinated, the elderly took priority. Vaccines are applied in hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and some commercial establishments. Now all residents can be vaccinated, except those under the age of 18.
The publicity surrounding the vaccination campaign helped to dispel misinformation about vaccines, according to medical officials.
“The moment we started giving vaccines to leaders, religious leaders and health professionals, it started to decline,” said Pugazhendi, the doctor at the ministry of health.
When they spoke to the AP last month, Pugazhendi and Lesperance said that neither of them had been on vacation since the start of the pandemic, with the tropical Seychelles setting almost always in view.
“We are looking forward to the end of COVID more than anyone else,” said Lesperance.
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Dear Anna in Nairobi contributed.
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