A 21 June meeting of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Cell noted that modelling from Imperial College London estimated the test and trace scheme used by the UK government reduced transmission by around a third.
By comparison, the experts anticipated that Jersey’s ‘more superior contact tracing system would be likely to reduce Covid-19 transmission by more than this amount’.
Herd immunity is also not possible in Jersey without vaccinating at least some of the Island’s children, according to the minutes, given that about 20% of the population was under 18 and at the time ineligible for vaccination.
The government announced last week that 16- and 17-year-olds were eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, basing its decision on advice issued by the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
The vaccine has also been extended to those between 12 and 15 years old with specific underlying health conditions, including a severe neuro-disability, immunosuppression and Down’s syndrome.
At a meeting on 14 June, interim director of public health practice Cynthia Folarin said incidents ‘where clusters had arisen’ were mainly from people aged between their 20s and early 40s.
Concerns were also raised at the same meeting ‘about the potential for there being a large wave of Covid-19 infections in the remainder of June and July’.
Eight new Covid cases were confirmed the same day as the meeting, although around a month later hundreds of infections were being identified each day with active case numbers topping 3,000 in July with 14,591 known contacts.
Meanwhile, keeping schools open for the remainder of term was described as a ‘top priority’ for the cell by Alex Khaldi, interim director for public health policy.
And vaccination programme head Becky Sherrington presented a paper on future seasonal flu vaccinations, which had been made free of charge in response to Covid-19, and which also considered whether or not the population would be subject to ‘vaccination fatigue’, given the strength of the campaign regarding Covid-19 vaccinations in Jersey’.
The Island’s deputy medical officer Ivan Muscat and medical director Patrick Armstrong agreed at the meeting that the flu vaccine should be kept free of charge during 2021, to encourage ‘the full support and uptake of those requiring vaccination’.
