Skelton-Cline detailed his experience on the Tuesday, August 10, 2021, edition of his Honestly Speaking radio show on ZBVI 780AM.

Vaccine provides an 'army' to fight virus

Crediting the vaccine as an ‘army’ that helped battle the virus, the 'Man of the Cloth' said the symptoms that came with the virus were also severe.

“I start thinking this could be the Delta [variant], this could be something… I lost my smell and I had chills or fever but it was coming and going. I didn’t necessarily have a lot of shortness of breath but there was a heaviness in my nasal [passage] throat and voice,” he said.

According to Skelton-Cline, it was a war that also came with tiredness despite him being fully vaccinated in early 2021.

“They have always told us what the vaccine does is provide you the best level of defense, it doesn't prevent you from contracting, it doesn't prevent you from even transmitting… but what it does, that if you do contract the virus, you have an army to fight with,” he said.

Skelton-Cline also called for more clarity on how samples are tested for variants of the COVID-19 virus alleging that he could not have contracted the regular COVID-19 given the severity of the symptoms.

Clarity needed on how samples are tested - Skelton-Cline

While the Clergyman has since recovered from the virus, he claimed that what he contracted could not have been the ‘regular’ COVID-19.

“Don’t get caught with your pants down on this thing,” he assured the VI public while encouraging vaccination as an arsenal to fight the virus.

"Now I am going to tell you, if you get this COVID-19 and especially any of its variants and you don't have an army to fight with, I am telling you now you are in trouble."

Skelton-Cline also called for more clarity on how samples are tested for variants of the COVID-19 virus, given the large spate of deaths in such a short time within the VI.

He shared that, in his assumption, his encounter felt more like one of the variants and has requested that his sample be sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in Trinidad and Tobago, as he believed he contracted the virus during his trip to the United States for a 'convocation'.

"I had to go through airports and all kinds of stuff so I want to know."

While the clergyman Claude O. Skelton-Cline has since recovered from COVID-19, he claimed what he contracted could not have been the ‘regular’ COVID-19.

'Something is off'

He said in a conversation with the acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronald E. Georges, he expressed that something is off with the findings of the recent outbreaks which has shown that the Delta Variant was not the cause. "Yes we have a behavioural challenge here and we have been behaving like this for a while but there got to be an X factor something in the system whereby, in essence, we have had some 36 plus deaths within a 28 day period, nah, there has to be something else afoot."

He referred to the virus as "demons" but said, "Thanks be to Jehovah and the AstraZeneca and family that loves me, you are able to fight and to win. That's just my testimony and I am just telling you don't get caught with your pants down with this thing. We have already seen too much loss from too close and we can't afford that. Protect yourself, protect your family, protect your grandparents, protect your country, protect your life, protect your livelihood, get vaccinated."

And, according to Skelton-Cline, "I am not having no more debates with nobody on whether you should get vaccinated or not. I am not having any more debates with you about that."