Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has responded to persons who criticised a nurse who gave him and his wife, Eloise, COVID-19 vaccine without using gloves.
The prime minister said that the nurse did not need to wear gloves as she had sanitised her hands before and after each jab
He made the point on Thursday at a Ministry of Health press conference, where he called for a cessation of “this constant attack” on chief medical officer, Dr. Simone Keizer-Beache, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Roger Duncan, and other health officials.
“I am urging persons not to go about unnecessarily creating dissension about nothing,” the prime minister said.
“I heard people talking about the nurse who gave Eloise and myself the vaccine that she didn’t have on gloves. Well, she didn’t have to have on any gloves because the hand sanitiser was there, she hand-sanitised her hands before she did Eloise and after she did Eloise and when she finished doing me, she hand-sanitised again. She did before me and after,” the prime minister said.
Netizens, including some claiming to be health professionals, have described the nurse’s action as unacceptable.
On the other hand, other persons have posed video and photos from around the world, including the United Kingdom and Barbados, of healthcare workers administering vaccines without wearing gloves.
Gonsalves said:
“I mean — and persons who don’t know how to do these things, they sit down in front of a computer, they’re on telephone and call and it makes no sense this sort of nit-picking. In fact, it has reached a stage now that I am completely immunised against it because you just don’t pay any mind because some of it has become so senseless.
“And some of the bickering is really unseemly and we must stop it and just let us do the right things as we have determined on the basis of the advice of the health professionals.
“And this constant attack on the chief medical officer, or the medical officer of health or on the nurses or on the frontline workers, those who are doing it must stop it. It is wrong.”
Some persons also commended on the fact that the nurse also appeared to be wearing a cloth mask, rather than a surgical mask.
Gonsalves and his wife were among persons who volunteered to receive jabs from among 20 doses of the Russia-developed Sputnik vaccine.
Last week Thursday, the prime minister told Parliament that he was in prayerful consideration about taking the vaccine, as he did not want to be accused of jumping the queue.
That is true in vaccination centres in the UK, the nurses and vaccine helpers don’t wear gloves as they sanitise their hands with alcohol gel between each injection. Gloves can get dirty and would need to be changed after each jab and hands sanitised still. This is not news!
According to “medical practices by the Cumrod ” you don’t need to wear mask unless you’re covid 19 positive. Politics have destroyed SVG no questions about that. I’m sorry for the authentic medical personnel who have to put up with this narcissist.
Why only 20 doses? Who got the other 18 doses? Who paid for the vaccine? Why Mr. and Mrs. Prime Minister instead of frontline healthcare workers? So many questions! Any answers? Please!
Omg people. If he didn’t take any of the vaccines it would have been a problem, he took it and it’s still a problem. Damn if u do damn if u don’t.
The truth is he has always been frightened of having a little prick.
The P.M as usual has managed to divert the public into silly nit-picking. Instead of journalists and others asking why only a few of the Russian vaccines are available and how was the selection of who gets the vaccine was determined. It should be noted that lately the western media
has begrudgingly acknowledge Sputnik has a very high effectiveness against the virus…. The comments are about foolish statements that the PM and his wife are setting examples to dispel fear about vaccines. Could it be it’s because they’re making sure that they protect themselves because of the fear of coming into contact with the virus as they can see that the spread will get out of control?
So while the public continues in ignorance the PM is making sure he and his wife and probably those close to him are immunized…go figure.
The way Vincies are always divided on silly things tells me that the current regime success is based on the ‘divide and conquer’ practice.
So why is his wife getting it before a frintline worker
How can the nurse use what she doesn’t have?
Vaccine for a so called virus with over 99% survival rate that has never been isolated or proven to exist scientifically. Wake up!!!