Saint Lucia records 9 new cases of COVID-19

Today, Monday October 26, 2020 the Ministry of Health received confirmation of nine new cases of COVID-19. This brings the national number of cases diagnosed to date in country to 63. A total of 36 cases are currently active and isolated in care.

Five of the cases are female and four male. Their ages range from 12 years to 55 years. These cases are from the Vieux-Fort, Castries and Gros-Islet districts. All of the cases were placed in quarantine after testing, while awaiting results. A link has been established for five of these cases to individuals who had been diagnosed with the virus. Investigations on the other four cases are ongoing to determine if they are linked to prior cases.

The new cases continue to be diagnosed and captured from a wider range of communities. This situation requires us to constantly stick with the behaviours that can keep us at low risk. We need to keep ourselves on alert particularly when we are in places where we are comfortable and where we have frequent contact like our work places. The Ministry of Health also takes this opportunity to encourage all to look out for one another. Let’s encourage each other to act responsibly to reduce our exposure to the virus.

Anyone with respiratory symptoms like cough, fever, sore throat should not be at work or in any public place. It is important that people who are unwell seek care promptly at the closest Community Respiratory Clinic.

The Ministry of Health once more reminds everyone to:

• Wash and sanitize hands often throughout the day
• Always wear a mask while in public
• Maintain a separation of six feet from others while in public, which is about two arm’s length apart

The Ministry of Health and Wellness will continue providing updates 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