Expect fourth Covid-19 wave before elections, says Bird

By LULU MAGINDE
EAST Sepik Governor Allan Bird says the country should expect a fourth wave of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in March before the 2022 national elections, with some provinces gearing up for it already.
“We’ve gone through our third wave and we know there’s a fourth wave coming and when that does happen, I think people will be more motivated to get vaccinated,” he said.
Responding to a question regarding the Government enforcing mandatory sanctions on the public for Covid-19 vaccinations, Bird said its efforts so far to raise awareness for the vaccine had lost public trust.
“I think it would be difficult to sanction vaccinations and given the strong negative reaction, I think we don’t want to complicate the situation by doing that,” he said.
Bird said being prepared and having the facilities ready was the safest measure for the authorities, which was what was taking place in Wewak.
“So if there is a surge and a lot of people are dying, I think that will place people in a better position to make decisions about the vaccine,” he said.
“This will allow for less public confusion and more preparedness, respecting their rights to take up the responsibility for themselves.
“We’re just going to have to do what we’re doing now and let the vaccination rates rise naturally.”
He said people would line up for vaccination when there was a surge.