One hundred and thirty-one new COVID-19 positive cases were reported in St. Vincent and the Grenadines

One hundred and thirty-one new COVID-19 positive cases were reported in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, from six hundred and fifty-eight (658) samples processed on Tuesday October 5th, 2021, resulting in a positivity of 20%.

The Health authorities say all cases are contacts of known positive cases and persons seeking care.

There are currently fifteen patients admitted for COVID-19 at the Argyle Isolation Facility.  Fourteen are unvaccinated and one patient is partially vaccinated. Thirty-six patients are admitted to the COVID-19 wards at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital. Thirty-four patients are unvaccinated, one patient is fully vaccinated, and one patient is partially vaccinated. 

One hundred and sixty-one new recoveries were noted over the reporting period. One thousand two hundred and eighty-six (1286) cases are currently active and thirty-eight (38) persons with COVID-19 have died.

Four thousand and ninety-six (4096) cases of COVID-19 and two thousand, six hundred and ninety-three (2693) recoveries have been recorded in St. Vincent and the Grenadines since March 2020.  

And the health authorities say the established public health interventions of detection, testing and quarantining or isolation are continuing, with the aim of containing and suppressing this current major outbreak.

The Health Committee says the increased testing associated with these public health interventions, coupled with the large number of requests for exit screens from travelers leaving St. Vincent and the Grenadines has resulted in a significant backlog of samples awaiting PCR processing at the Molecular Lab Unit (MLU). This back log, estimated to be 800 samples, should be cleared in 48 hours.   

The Committee says the strict enforcement of and compliance with all protocols are required by everyone if the current outbreak, powered by the highly contagious and deadlier Delta and Gamma variants of the (SARS-CoV-2) virus which causes COVID-19, is to be contained.

The correct and consistent use of masks, avoidance of crowds, physical distancing, proper hand sanitizing and immunization with available vaccines have all been proven to significantly reduce the risk of being infected, getting sick and or dying from the COVID-19 virus.