In its latest push to expand public education surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the government facilitated a successful virtual “Ask The Doctors” Town Hall meeting on January 11.
The initiative was a joint effort between the Ministry of Health & Wellness and the Office of the Prime Minister. It featured a panel of medical experts and public health practitioners including Dr. Nikkiah Forbes, Director of the National HIV/AIDS & Infectious Diseases Programme at the MOHW; Dr. Philip Swann, Acting Chief Medical Officer at the MOHW; Dr. Cherita Moxey, Senior House Officer at the MOHW; Dr. Delon Brennen, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at the MOHW; Dr. Frank Bartlett, Consultant & Paediatrician, GBHS; Dr. Jillian Bartlett, Senior Medical Officer, MOHW; and Dr. Wendy Fernander, Psychologist. Press Secretary Clint Watson moderated the session.
Panelists addressed a wide range of health enquiries submitted by the public, dispelling misinformation surrounding the virus, vaccines, and boosters. Experts repeatedly stressed the importance of wearing a medical-grade mask in mitigating transmission and the proven efficacy of vaccinations and boosters in staving off serious infection.
The Town Hall meeting is a key initiative of the Davis administration’s wider Together Against COVID-19 educational campaign, which aims to empower Bahamians to adopt safe and informed strategies in the face of the Omicron and Delta variants, and to have professionals address false information in circulation with information that can be trusted.
The panel was streamed live on the Office of the Prime Minister’s Facebook page and may be accessed at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/opmbs/videos/179553081034916 .
