100% (Eligible Citizens) Vaccinated Nation Sees Exponential Rise in COVID Cases & Cautions Citizenry
As of November 12th 2021, a total of 92,749 vaccine doses have been administered in Gibraltar. The population of Gibraltar is approximately 33,691. British health secretary Matt Hancock described Gibraltar as “the first nation in the world to complete its entire adult vaccination program" as it now has a vaccination rate over 100 percent for those who are eligible. It's beyond 100% due to doses given to Spaniards who cross the border to work or visit the territory every day.
On November 12th, the government of Gibraltar released the following statement,
"The steady increase in active cases of COVID-19 that Gibraltar experienced throughout October has continued into November, and has become even more exponential in the last few days. This means that it is essential that the public conduct themselves in a cautious and sensible manner bearing in mind that we are still in a global pandemic and that people are losing their lives every day all over the world."
"The public are urged to avoid large gatherings, to wear a mask where prescribed by law or when they feel uncomfortable and to maintain a prudent social distance from other people. There are 359 active cases of COVID-19 in Gibraltar."
The government is not enforcing any measures, they are simply recommending and asking the population to engage in social distancing, mask wearing and limited gatherings.
The number of active cases sits at 474 - roughly 1.3 per cent of the population - as of November 17th. Despite ongoing reassurance from world governments, the widespread vaccination of populations has unfortunately failed to ease rising case numbers for some densely populated nations.
Minister for Health of Gibraltar, the Hon. Samantha Sacramento explains,
‘The drastic increase in the numbers of people testing positive for COVID-19 in recent days is a stark reminder that the virus is still very prevalent in our community and that it is the responsibility of us all to take every reasonable precaution to protect ourselves and our loved ones. The vaccination programme for 12-15 year olds and the booster vaccination programme are now underway, and Gibraltar received 4680 more doses this week. Everyone who is eligible for a vaccine or a booster is strongly encouraged to take up the offer when they are called."
Gibraltar was praised in March 2021 for becoming the first recognised nation to vaccinate the entirety of its eligible population. However, with a sizeable portion of the population having their second dose months ago, the government is now facing an issue that's becoming more prevalent around the world, waning immunity.
Data from Pfizer and BioNTech has revealed their Covid-19 jab’s effectiveness weakens after around five months. An October study published in The Lancet found that while the Pfizer mRNA vaccine was 88 per cent effective at preventing infection during the first month after a second dose, it was only 47 per cent effective at preventing infection 150 days later.
There are many examples of this while well over 100 publications have outlined and demonstrated the power natural immunity can provide. Some people feel, given the fact that healthy people under the age of 65 without comorbidities have a near 100 percent chance of survival, as well as the number of vaccine injuries reported, there is no justification for mandates.
One can however make a good case for COVID shots preventing severe COVID and chances of death, more so in people who are vulnerable like the elderly and those with other underlying health conditions.
Other example of transmission among the vaccinated are quite robust. Vaccinated people may be responsible for spreading COVID just as the unvaccinated are. In Massachusetts for example, a total of 469 new COVID cases appeared during a number of public events in July of 2021, and 74 percent of these cases occurred in those who were fully or partially vaccinated.
In Israel, an outbreak of COVID-19 involving 16 healthcare workers, 23 exposed patients and two family members was caused by a fully vaccinated patient. Of all exposed individuals, the vaccination rate was 96.2 percent.
Two unvaccinated patients developed mild disease, while fourteen fully vaccinated patients became severely ill or died.
In fact, of the top five counties that have the highest percentage of population fully vaccinated (99.9–84.3%), the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies four of them as “high” transmission counties.
In October, cases and deaths briefly reached new highs in Singapore, a country with vaccination coverage of 94 percent. The population of 5.9 million recorded a whopping 25,950 new cases in the week of October 25th alone.
In Ireland, which has 92 per cent of its eligible population covered, deaths and transmission rates from the virus have roughly doubled since August.
All of this is setting the stage for booster shots which are already rolling out in several countries. But it probably won't end there, COVID vaccinations will most likely become an annual phenomenon just like the flu shot.
The question on the minds of many is whether or not a shot will be required every year, or every six months in order to keep the highly controversial "vaccine passports" up to date.