Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has contracted Covid-19 for a third time.
A Facebook post by the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday stated Rowley had tested positive after experiencing flu-like symptoms.
The OPM said he will remain in isolation for 14 days in keeping with the current Covid-19 protocols.
On October 19, the Prime Minister attended World Food Day observances in Tobago, and when asked by reporters on whether he will remain on the island for Carnival celebrations he said he would have been absent from the festivities, but wished the Tobago Carnival a safe one.
“I am still very respectful of Covid but I know there would be a lot of people and I wish them well, and I hope they get through it safely. I have had Covid twice and I am trying my best not to have it a third time. So I wish you all well,” Rowley said.
The prime minister left the island last Saturday morning.
He first tested positive for Covid in early April 2021, and again on July 29, 2022.
Rowley, who turned 73 on October 24, is fully vaccinated with the Sinopharm vaccine and has had two booster shots.
Meanwhile, former health minister Dr Fuad Khan is advising that the PM let his personal doctor check his immune system.
“The prime minister is fully vaccinated and boosted twice, but then contracts the virus three times, which means his antibodies level is not functioning as it should and he needs to check his blood cells to see what kind of response it has. If you are being attacked so often after taking all the necessary boosters, it means your antibody response is very poor,” Khan explained.
He recommended that Rowley take hydroxychloroquine to help with his recovery.
Khan also said he does not agree with going into isolation anymore.
“Put on a mask and keep your distance if you have to conduct a meeting. Going into isolation is senseless,” Khan said.
When the news broke yesterday there were mixed reactions from people on social media.
While some wished the PM a speedy recovery, others were critical, saying the announcement is being used as a distraction from all that is going on in the country.
One Facebook user said: “Take more care of yourself, do not try to be too friendly and close to people, as that is a recipe for disaster.”
Another user said, “Not because you are vaccinated and boosted means that you do not wear your mask. You have to remember your age. While you were in Tobago you had on no mask and at the public meeting in Chaguanas no mask as well. You have to be very careful.”
Also chiming in via a WhatsApp sent to the media was political leader of the National Transformation Alliance Gary Griffith who said, “Strange that every time things look bad for this guy, he gets Covid. He now has the record. It is as if he goes hunting to get it to avoid the public.”
Credit: Source link
