by Linda Straker
- 2 of the 47 pending results tested positive
- 2 new cases related to an already confirmed patient
- Overall testing total is 92 of which 14 have tested positive
Dr George Mitchell, National Covid-19 Response Coordinator, said on Friday said that Grenada’s Covid-19 confirmed cases now stand at 13, because two of the 47 pending results tested positive. “This brings our overall testing total to 92 of which 14 have tested positive; however, only 13 cases here on Island,” Dr Mitchell said in an update statement broadcast on the Government Information Service (GIS).
During a news conference on Thursday, Health Minister, Nickolas Steele, said that results were pending for 47 persons and that result would be disclosed on Friday.
The 47 whose gender was not disclosed, are the first batch of persons to be tested since Grenada received approval for on-island testing. Before the on-island testing ability, all of Grenada’s tests were conducted at the lab of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in Trinidad.
“Those results come from the individuals who are, who were, who may have come into contact with our 12 confirmed cases. A couple of them are individuals who have shown symptoms that cause some reason of concern that caused the team to do testing,” Steele told journalists on Thursday.
Dr Mitchell did not provide a breakdown of the 2 new cases but said that they were related to an already confirmed patient. “Both individuals are related to one of the cases previously announced. Both of these individuals are stable. Let me assure that all our positive cases and their contacts are under quarantine.”
Dr Mitchell who is the immediate former Chief Medical Officer, reminded the nation that the Ministry of Health team continues to rigorously enforce and enhance quarantine and isolation measures, and the police have been a diligent partner in ensuring that guidelines are observed.
Urging citizens to call the health hotline if they are exhibiting symptoms of the virus, Dr Mitchell said persons should remain at home and do not visit a healthcare provider or medical facility. “We urge the public to inform the Ministry of Health or nearest health facility of any individual displaying acute respiratory symptoms. If you believe you are exhibiting symptoms of the virus, do not leave your house. Do not take public transportation. Do not go into any hospital or medical facility. Call the health hotline at 538 4787 or 458 4787.”
Are the 47 pending being quarantined? From what date? Useful information for concerned citizens to know.
Play de music on the radio. “Grenada May God Bless You’. Lively up yourselves! Grandma would bake a cake,! Grandpa would have his rum! If you grew up in a family household like mine (in the past). PLAY SOME DOMINOES nuh!!!
Agreed with majority of comments….but to the few who think this is a normal death rate,need to think again.This is a serious epidemic which spreads so easy,with young dying too.The hospital workers on the frontline catching it and dying. This is serious. .
People need to adhere to the safety measured
Agreed Grenada acted way more earlier to the UK which is brilliant and knows where the cases are.
I think unfortunately for me being in the UK where governments put economy before people we have alot more deaths before it ends. Stay safe everyone.
I live in Charlotte, NC, U.S.A. but Grenada (including Carriacou) live in my heart.
It has been impressive to watch Grenada and the Caribbean as a whole respond seriously and swiftly to the Covid 19 pandemic.
I encourage health officials, government leaders, parents and everyone who has influence over others to reinforce the following:
– Frequent hand washing
– Social distancing
– Limiting outings to essential activities only
– Stay physically and emotionally healthy through exercise and activity, both indoors and outdoors
All are relatively simple and cost very little but have a HUGE impact individually and collectively.
I look forward to returning to Grenada this summer to celebrate life free of the restrictions caused by this most unfortunate situation. Until then the best of health to everyone there!!
Hi Andy,I understand your concern, I’m concerned as well and we all should take this pandemic seriously,but Samuel does have a good point.We are nothing compared to the population of the U.S ,China etc.Peace to all and stay safe!
If my local area is anything to go by, there are a few people out there who are not taking Covid19 seriously, particularly in respect of abiding by the rules of curfew. There are people leaving their homes under cover of darkness, people, I suspect, using shopping and refueling days to go to places other than the supermarket or the petrol station instead of going straight back to their place of abode.
Parents are allowing their children to wander around outside the protection of their homes. There are youths wandering around putting up kites and they are certainly not launching them from their back yards!
Not everybody has access to the media and therefore not everybody has the opportunity to educate themselves on just how easily Covid19 is transmitted and what the virus can do to you if you have underlying conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and severe obesity to name a few.
So how do you educate people? The Health Department could use the Government printing presses to put together leaflet’s that spell out the cold hard facts about the virus giving details on transmission, incubation, infection, being asymptomatic and what could happen if you become infected and develop complications. Bundles of these leaflets could be distributed to supermarkets and mini markets, for example, throughout the island.
It takes just one person to start a community spread.
I hope that community spread will not happen but I find the behavior of some people quite alarming and not very encouraging.
Knowledge in a Pandemic is a powerful tool.
On the other hand, Grenada has a young population. 80% of the people are younger than 55. Those are not the age groups most at risk. Grenada also has one of the best health care systems in the Caribbean.
I agree we have to protect the elderly and the sick. What really happens here is people were already dying of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc. and covid is just the straw that breaks the camel’s back. So not letting those people get infected could buy them a few more years maybe. But letting the young people get infected could be a good way to introduce herd immunity in a controlled way, to protect all of us. Young people and children usually get no symptoms or nothing worse than a cold.
God bless.
Thank you Samuel. Good Insight. And Great Work Happening in our Little Island. GodBless..
Grenada has a good chance becouse, it started off doing things quickly, big city’s never do they always wait while last minute then come out with a load of lies like England is doing now , but after saying that be careful grenada. Because it creeps up so fast before you know it you will have hundreds , so please stay home and stay safe , yesterday we had 980 in one day die , we now have 8.968 dead.all together ,,
Which is normal death numbers for England in March check previous death years numbers.. Same as France they make you scared by giving you daily numbers, in March 59k people died in France including covid 19… In 2018 it was 61k and in 2019 60k… So stop encouraging the drama, just be safe that’s it
You’re right Jean. I just checked mortality rates on the euromomo site. In most countries, it is not worse than the flu epidemics in 2017 or 2018. Could it be that the media are blowing this out of proportion, and that governments (which consist of normal, emotional people) are panicking as a result?
From an ER doctor at Brooklyn Methodist Hospttal, Park Slope, NYC: The extent of community spread is unreal. You begin to realize that, without comprehensive testing, we are radically underestimating the spread of this virus.
Andy, please stop fear mongering. NYC is radically different from Grenada. Don’t compare a metropolis of millions, living together like rats in a cage, with an island of 120k spread out inhabitants, most of whom are not super mobile or physically connected to the ‘outside world’.
I agree more tests are a good thing, but our government did aggressive tracing of suspected cases and locked down everything from the beginning. In the US, they did nothing until it was far too late.
I commend you sir. People such as Andy are the types we really don’t need to hear from. A bunch of hot air for absolutely nothing. Unimportant and uninformative.
Thanks so much for the constant updates!