UK Variant of Covid now on SXM

Link

The UK variant is apparently responsible for the huge spike in cases in Curacao, so folks on SXM need to get vaccinated to stop a similar spike on SXM..

And I'm sure other varients will pop up in SXM in time. LOCALS please get that vaccine.

It was only a matter of time. B.1.1.7. is so infectious there's almost no way other than vaccinations to keep it contained. But, the vaccines can deal just fine with this variant, and will prevent serious COVID-19 disease and hospitalization in just about 100 percent of the cases of those who come in contact with it. Regardless of a negative COVID test, people should not travel to these islands unless they are fully vaccinated.

Last week, out of 11 new French side cases, 8 were of the "UK Variant". In St Martin, all positive tests are sent to France for gene sequencing. I don't think that that happens in the US.

This is scary--hope it improves.

I thought the Moderna Vaccine was effective with the UK variant.
The article mentions Pfizer only.

The Moderna vaccine is effective against the U.K. variant. Be careful what you may read online. Both mRNA vaccines are slightly less effective with these variants (which was to be expected) because they have produced fewer neutralizing antibodies against the virus, but yet enough antibodies to prevent serious COVID illness. What is never mentioned in the media is the impact the mRNA vaccines have on the 'core' of the human immune system, and that's our T-Cells and B-Cells. Antibodies represent the first line of defense against a virus, but in reality one fourth of our entire immune systems.

Can you buy Ivermectin at pharmacies -- covid related question.

I really don't know. Are you asking about it's availability at pharmacies in St.Maarten? It's a medicine used primarily by veterinarians, but I heard some studies were going on somewhere testing this as potential treatment for COVID-19. It's not an antiviral medicine (such as Remdesivir) so I would thinks it's usefulness would be limited against a virus.

Rest assured, there is PLENTY of gene sequencing going on in the US now.

Yes, I know there is an animal version of ivermectin. There is also a human form of the drug, and it is prescribed based on your weight. If you search Dr. Been on You Tube, he is a doctor who does lots of lectures on all things Covid. He was a late to the table Ivermectin fan. I know of a doctor who was sick of his patients asking for this prescription and gave them other meds instead. Then this doctor and his family came down with Covid, and he said what the heck, he had a doctor get him a prescription for his entire family to see what the hype was on it. They were all better in 24 hours. That doctor is now a big proponent of this drug. We have a doctor from our state that took a sabbatical from his job to go to other countries that don't have the vaccine yet, and giving them ivermectin with great results. It is a cheaper drug that has been around for decades. If I were to come down with this virus or a variant, that is the first thing I would look for.

Latest Covid on island figures.
LINK