Saint Lucia records 48 news cases of COVID-19

SAINT LUCIA RECORDS CASES #922 TO #969 OF COVID-19

Today Tuesday January 26, 2021 the Ministry of Health and Wellness received confirmation of forty-eight new cases of COVID-19 from a batch of 200 tests conducted at the Ezra Long Laboratory. Confirmation was also received of the recovery of twenty-three individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 bringing the total number of active cases currently in country to 461. One of the active cases is in critical care at the Respiratory Hospital and all of others are stable and doing well. The new cases now bring the total number of cases diagnosed in country to date to 969.

All of the forty-eight cases are Saint Lucian nationals who range in age from 5 years to 92 years. They are from the Babonneau, Anse La Raye and Castries districts. All of these individuals were seen at a community respiratory clinic for assessment and were tested for COVID-19. As per the testing protocol, they were placed in quarantine by health care practitioners while awaiting their
COVID-19 test results. Arrangements have since been made to place these individuals in isolation. The contact tracing team is undertaking investigations to identify the contacts of these confirmed
cases.

At this present time, the Ezra Long Laboratory continues to manage the testing of the backlog of samples. It is necessary that everyone awaiting test results remain in quarantine until contacted by a health care worker. All results, both negative and positive, must be communicated via telephone to the individual prior to release from quarantine. It means that an individual in quarantine should not leave their dedicated quarantine space to go conduct business, go to work, run errands or any other activity.

The Ministry of Health once again encourages all to practice the behaviors which will help to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

– Frequently wash hands your with flowing water and soap
– Wear a mask when in public places and ensure it covers the mouth, nose and chin
– Maintain a six foot distance from others wherever possible
– Use a bleach solution to sanitize frequently touched surfaces and frequently handled objects
– Avoid contact with other people who have flu-like symptoms

If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, it is important to keep away from others and to urgently seek medical care at your closest community respiratory clinic for assessment.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness will continue providing updates to the public as new information becomes available.

For more information please contact the Office of the Chief Medical Officer or the Epidemiology Unit, at 468-5309/468-5317 respectively