Keep wearing masks even if vaccinated, warns McMillan

Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan.

As of Thursday, August 5, 2021

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

CHIEF Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan is urging vaccinated people to continue following public health measures like mask wearing, noting they can still contribute to the spread of COVID-19.

She said as the virus continues to affect the world, people must individually and collectively protect themselves.

“I think with the way the virus is being spread with the Delta variant there is concern that the vaccinated can still spread it so that’s why we continue to make the recommendation to keep your mask on,” she said.

“You would see they are moving toward saying that wearing the mask - even after you have been vaccinated - is the best way to go. This thing continues to evolve and as it evolves you have to be mindful that certainly the public health measures that we carry out, mask wearing, sanitisation, must continue as we move toward getting vaccines and also increasing our capacity to get people to take the vaccines.

“You don’t just drop one because you have the other. You have to be vigilant if we are going to be able to continue this long haul. It’s not a spring. COVID is with us and the better we protect ourselves individually and collectively the better we will get through this whole cycle and right now we are in problems with our capacity so I urge people, we are getting additional vaccines, get vaccinated, but please do not drop all of your public health measures that we have been saying you should carry out.”

Vaccinated people travelling to and throughout The Bahamas are now required to produce either a negative antigen or PCR test result in response to emerging data about the ability of vaccinated people to spread the Delta variant of COVID-19.

Dr McMillan said officials continue to send samples away for variant testing, though the results have been slow to receive.

“We get results way after,” she said. “Based on what we’re seeing, we believe the Delta variant could be here so let us act as if it is. The likelihood that it is circulating is high.”

TalRussell 2 years, 9 months ago

Is it not going give whole new meaning to the longevity as a Chief Medical Officer to have Comrade Sister Dr. Pearl McMillan out there as spokesisster, be urging on the vaccinated people to do certain common sense things, not likely runs contrary to the wisdom of the oppositions most targeted Reds, Messers Minnis, Renward, Jeff, Marvin, and Dionisio James, yes?

ThisIsOurs 2 years, 9 months ago

Baffles the mind the guidance Wells and Minnis were giving over thd past 2 months. It was not safe and it never made logical sense

bahamianson 2 years, 9 months ago

So says the.science,right? Whatever science we are.following is a.D average science. What science? A science that changes weekly.

tribanon 2 years, 9 months ago

Most of us now know it's all about the most evil science of all, better known as the science of population control.

JokeyJack 2 years, 9 months ago

What an incredibly stupid thing to say on the same day as the PM urging people to get vaccinated. Get vaccinatef for what?

I mean im by no means on your side, but isnt this shooting your agenda in the foot? Isnt it slso totally stupid to "urge" people to wear masks when they are already ordered to do so by emergency powers?

TalRussell 2 years, 9 months ago

At least the Comrade Sister Dr. Pearl is making an effort but with such new info, emergency powers Popoulaces to wear masks is new info you should telephone up to inform both the ministry of health, and the office of the prime minister of and about, yes?

John 2 years, 9 months ago

Keep wearing masks till the wicked, mad scientist Dr Jeckle and Mr Hyde-Fauci says, ‘take em off again! And y’all still wann people to take y’all vaccines? YAll ainn serious!

Twocent 2 years, 9 months ago

As Chief Medical Office Ms McMillan must know the science and have the evidence she needs to say what she says, right? Yet as a medical doctor and our Prime Minister, he should be in a similar situation, right? So which one is actually looking out for our health? Who is actually looking out for a corrupt/disingenuous profit system called capitalism? Bigger question…who is the ultimate scape goat as the evidence-based science unfolds?

John 2 years, 9 months ago

Is The Bahamas bending it’s curve?

JokeyJack 2 years, 9 months ago

Should we put masks on the dead in their caskets to protect them from Covid in the afterlife?

whogothere 2 years, 9 months ago

Just sad...gov constantly playing catch up...vaccine escape was gonna happen..there is going To be seasonal spikes, we and other countries have gotten over these without masks and without vaccines. There is no solution to COVID so the only thing that makes sense is to focus vaccine efforts on those that are elderly and those that are immune compromised, acknowledge therapeutics and let the rest of society get on with it.

carltonr61 2 years, 9 months ago

Medical misadventure or deliberate setup to praise vaccinated persons to not wear masks showing extreme incompitancy. Even if the IMF were to help bailout our 10billion dollars in the red for Covid loyalty US fears of mishandling may stall that.

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