The Ministry of Health held a virtual Press Conference at 11am this morning (Wednesday 12th May 2021) to update the public on the latest developments with COVID-19 in Trinidad and Tobago. Below are the key points discussed today, courtesy of TTT Live Online: - Technical Director of the Epidemiology Division, Dr. Avery Hinds, said in the last 24 to 48 hours, 130 beds have been added to the parallel healthcare sector at the step-down facilities, which has brought the overall Hospital occupancy rate down. The ambulatory setting now stands at 41%, ICU at 74% and HDU at 93%. Dr. Hinds says the decrease in occupancy is due to an increase in beds being added. - Dr. Abdul Hamid, General Manager of Primary Care at the NCRHA, said the step-down facility at UTT Valsayn was operationalized in eight (8) hours on Sunday to ease the burden on Hospitals. There are currently thirty-two (32) patients at the facility and will reach capacity at forty (40) by midday on Wednesday, with fifteen (15) people expected to be discharged soon. - Similar step-down facilities for decanting COVID-19 patients will be operationalized soon - for instance, in Point Fortin, to ease the burden on Hospital capacity. - Dr. Hinds says the U.S Government has donated two (2) field Hospitals to Trinidad and Tobago, which will be operationalized as needed. They will have the capacity for forty (40) beds with ICU and HDU and will be deployed at the Couva Hospital and Port-of-Spain area (Jean Pierre Complex). - PAHO/WHO Country Representative, Dr. Erica Wheeler, spoke about the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) procedure with regards to a vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO). She assured that no shortcuts were taken to bypass any safety requirements to approve any vaccine. All approved vaccines would have undergone three (3) phases of trials before being considered to be approved. - There is no current plan to test individuals before vaccines are administered. Dr. Avery Hinds said this is not global best practice and is not the best use of resources. He notes, though, that adequate screening is done prior to being vaccinated to minimize any adverse effects. He reminds that people are not ‘COVID-proof’ after taking the vaccine, even after getting fully vaccinated. He said it prevents persons from having more severe disease. - Genomic testing for recent deaths are still being processed to see if the Brazilian (P1) variant was a factor. However, Dr. Hinds noted that an increase in deaths is linked to increased numbers of COVID-19. - Dr. Hinds on recent Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that COVID-19 is airborne: He says although it has been shown to spread further than six (6) feet, the wearing of masks drastically reduces the accumulation of particles. If you missed the Press Conference, you can watch it below in its entirety. This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates. [Source: TTT Live Online]
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