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Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 01, 2021 (SKNIS): During the June 29, 2021 edition of “Leadership Matters”, Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris reiterated that the “Life First” strategy has been a key tool in managing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis having a high vaccination rate coupled with few deaths and low hospitalization when compared to other countries.

“St. Kitts and Nevis has been a model of a best managed small island state and we continue to do that and it is reflected in our statistics. With the number of tests that are being conducted, the effectiveness of our contact tracing, and every indicator measurable, we have done exceptionally well. We will always wish that we had zero deaths, but look within the region and you see again that we are among the best performers in terms of our ability to keep things going and preventing the overwhelming of our health sector and indeed saving lives,” said Prime Minister Harris.

As it relates to the vaccination rate, the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is well ahead of other regional countries, with over 69 percent of the adult population receiving at least one dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines and another 57.2 percent completing two doses. Prime Minister Harris thanked persons for doing the right thing by getting vaccinated as a means of protecting each other and saving lives.

“I am assured that a majority of persons support the government in its strategy to keep the country safe. I am assured that the majority of people in St. Kitts and Nevis are convinced that the vaccine is the best route out of COVID-19. And the statistics reveal that in an overwhelming way we are close to having 70 percent of the adult population taking their first shot. When you compared the number of persons who have been fully vaccinated, you see that St. Kitts and Nevis is in the big league which compares to some of the most powerful countries,” said Prime Minister Harris.

Most recently, the Government went to parliament to seek an extension to the State of Emergency for up to six months, which will take the Emergency Powers Regulations up until 31^st December 2021.