The Ministry of Health is focusing its efforts on suppression measures as cases continue to be recorded in maritime islands.

The Ministry of Health is focusing its efforts on suppression measures as cases continue to be recorded in maritime islands.

Permanent Secretary for Health, Doctor James Fong, says these include individual COVID safe measures and setting-based measures.

Dr. Fong says scientific data on the Omicron variant suggests that it is so transmissible that no containment measure will work.

“So the idea is that every community needs to have suppression measures in place. Because you can’t stop it from coming in. You can only suppress it once it’s in.”

The Health Ministry is banking on its vaccination efforts as a means to prevent severe illness for those in maritime islands.

“To a large extent, because of the benefits we’re getting out of vaccination, the consequence of the disease is now becoming less of an issue.”

The Health Ministry adds that although the vaccine does not offer 100% protection, people infected with the Omicron variant are still protected against severe disease and death.