In a perplexing and worrying development, Seychelles, one of the world’s most vaccinated countries, announced today that it was extending restrictions for an indefinite period as infections remain persistently high. Bloomberg has the story.
Seychelles extended curbs imposed on movement and gatherings indefinitely as the world’s most-vaccinated nation fights a persistently high number of coronavirus infections.
The palm-fringed Indian Ocean archipelago has seen a large number of infections since early May even though 70% of it 98,000 people are fully vaccinated with either Sinopharm or AstraZeneca Plc vaccines. It had rushed to conduct an inoculation campaign and reopen to tourism, the lifeblood of its economy.
“In view of the persistent community transmission of COVID-19, the increasing number of deaths, the confirmation of the presence of variants circulating in the population, the Public Health Authority is reinforcing the public health and social measures in place,” the health ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Bars, casinos and shops have to close at 7 p.m., events such as wedding celebrations are banned and gatherings of more than four people, unless it’s for work, are banned indoors and outdoors.
“These measures will remain in force and can only be relaxed when the outbreak is under greater control,” the ministry said.
Here is their cases curve with a comparison to the U.K.
Deaths are also currently running at their highest levels so far – though from a low base.
It’s fair to say that AstraZeneca and Sinopharm have not exactly shown themselves to be the most effective vaccines compared to the mRNA ones. But even so, this is not an encouraging development – and it’s depressing that the country is persisting with a lockdown strategy that has evidently been ineffective.
Read the Bloomberg story in full here.
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