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The Ministry of Health confirmed this morning that all three patients at the Couva Hospital’s High Dependency Unit (HDU) were moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) over the past 24 hours.
There have already been four deaths owing to Covid-19 over the past five days, as Trinidad and Tobago’s health care system tries to get on top of the second wave of the pandemic.
(Copyright Chicago Tribune)
As of this morning, there were 109 patients at the Couva Hospital with three in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU); and 70 at the Caura Hospital as well as 54 positive patients at Debe, 40 at Tacarigua, 31 at Balandra and 19 in Sangre Grande.
There are also a further 90 patients ‘en route [or] being admitted to hospital’ and 35 persons who are being ‘processed for admission’—the latter category suggesting that they have not been located yet in the contact tracing process by county medical health officers.
Wired868 enquired from a Ministry of Health communications officer, last week, about the specific current bed capacity of each health facility required to hold Covid-19 patients. The request was acknowledged but a response not forthcoming.
At present, Trinidad and Tobago has 448 active cases of the novel coronavirus, which forced the Ministry of Health to convert quarantine facilities into treatment centres for patients.
The twin island republic has had 600 positive case since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, as the ministry tallied 12 new positive results this morning to go with the 23 added yesterday evening.
(Courtesy NCRHA)
For the past 48 hours, the clinical updates have not stated whether the new positive persons were ‘pending epidemiological investigation’ or ‘contacts of recently positive Covid-19 patients’—with the only defining factor being whether they were swabbed in Trinidad or Tobago.
One of the positives confirmed yesterday evening was based in Tobago while the rest are from Trinidad.
Trinidad and Tobago vs Covid-19 (in numbers)
Local infections of Covid-19 in first wave (27 March to 26 April)
- 50 cases in 31 days.
Local infections of Covid-19 in second wave (20 July to 18 August)
- 432 cases in 28 days.
The Ministry of Health reminds members of the public to adhere to the ‘new normal’ and:
- Wear a mask over your nose and mouth when you go out in public;
- Keep your distance from others (six feet);
- Stay home if you are ill;
- Clean then sanitise surfaces, such as tabletops, door knobs and cell phones;
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitiser;
- Cough into a tissue or into the crook of your elbow;
- Avoid touching your face.
Persons are urged to call Covid-19 hotline numbers: 877-WELL, 87-SWRHA or 877-3742 (Trinidad) and 800-HEAL (Tobago) if they feel unwell; or they can report a possible breach of Covid-19 regulations by calling 555, or sending messages—inclusive of photographs and videos—to the Police App or via Whats App to 482-GARY.
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The Government and Ministry of Health aren’t taking this virus seriously enough. Reminds me of the utter clusterf*ck the British government did under Boris JHohnson, directly leading to over 40,000 deaths.
A full lockdown is needed, and maybe even a State of Emergency to minimise movement within the country.
As I said, stupidity kills.