Africa-Press – Mauritius. A handing over ceremony of 500 000 units of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) by the United Kingdom (UK) was held, this morning, at the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, in Port Louis.
The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal; the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Mauritius, Mrs Charlotte Pierre; and the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Dillum, were present.
In his address, Dr Jagutpal expressed gratitude to the UK Government for the donation of PPE equipment which, he said, will help front liners, staff of the ENT Hospital and Regional Hospitals to be better equipped and protected against COVID-19. The PPE comprise disposable respiratory protection masks, self-assembly visors, aprons, coveralls and gowns.
He further commended the UK for its unflinching support to Mauritius in its fight against COVID-19 while recalling that the UK has ensured that Mauritius obtains a donation of more than 200 000 doses of the Pfizer paediatric COVID-19 vaccine in May this year which has allowed Government to start vaccinating children aged 5 to 11 years old.
The Health Minister recalled that it has been more than two and a half years since the detection of the first positive COVID-19 case in Mauritius and added that the pandemic is still very much present in our country and worldwide.
He underlined that vaccination was key to resume to normality following the outbreak of COVID-19 and highlighted that Mauritius benefitted from the COVAX Facility put in place with the collaboration of the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as donations from friendly countries which allowed the vaccination of the population.
He indicated that as at date, 12 963 children have had a first dose of the Pfizer paediatric COVID-19 vaccine and 10 461 have had a second dose. Mauritius has vaccinated 81.44 percent of its population of nearly 1.3 million with a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine while 78.53 % of the population is fully vaccinated.
He rejoiced that the country is among the top 2 countries in Africa alongside Seychelles with the highest rate of vaccination coverage. Mauritius, he said, has also been among the first countries on the continent to offer the 1st and 2nd booster dose to its population, and to date 656 101, that is around 55 % of the population, has had at least a booster dose.
Dr Jagutpal, however, stated that COVID-19 is far from over and that the Omicron Variant which is predominant across the globe is now mutating. According to the latest sequential report of the Central Health Laboratory in Mauritius, Omicron Variant BA 2 and BA 5 are the most dominant in the country accounting for 81 % of samples analysed.
He further indicated that in Mauritius, 41 positive cases have been detected via PCR Tests during the last week and that 16 patients were admitted at the ENT hospital.
Speaking about new booster vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer, he highlighted that they are called “bivalent,” because they protect against currently circulating Omicron variants as well as earlier strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. He announced that his Ministry is currently in talks with Pfizer for the procurement of such bivalent vaccines.
For his part, Ambassador Dillum at the very outset expressed the gratitude of the Government of Mauritius towards the British Government for the donation of PPE which, he said, epitomises the excellent bilateral relations shared between the two countries.
He recalled that the measures taken by Government since the outbreak of the pandemic have proven critical not only to limiting transmission of the virus and alleviating the economic and social hardships but to also ensuring continuity of education and preservation of business and employment.
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