#BTColumn – COVID silver lining?

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today.

by Angela Barnett

Amid the upsurge of reported cases of the coronavirus currently, I note that the death toll remains at the seven it was when this dreaded virus first hit Barbados. This is an encouraging factor which might speak to the strength of the immune systems of persons who it has affected in Barbados.

It might also be a credit to the interventions of our hard-working health officials, even in the absence of a vaccine. Whatever the case may be, if people are catching and overcoming this virus, I am assuming that their immune systems will be in a position to fend off further exposure. Persons are moving around completely asymptomatic and unaware of their status.

It is quite possible that they may ‘recover’ having not known they were infected in the first place. So, it would appear that in the midst of what we are enduring, having our immune system at its optimum is key to wading off the virus or overcoming it if it is caught. There must be some plausible reason – other than the use of masks, sanitizers and social distancing – for the extremely low death rate in the Caribbean.