16 new COVID-19 cases in BVI! Second testing site commissioned
Positive coronavirus test sample
The British Virgin Islands has recorded 16 new positive COVID-19 cases which brings the total number recorded in the territory to 63.
This is according to the Minister for Health Carvin Malone who made the announcement during a live public briefing on Friday, September 4.
Malone said the newly-identified cases are related to the current active cases and were discovered through the rigorous contract tracing being conducted by the Ministry of Health.
He also reported the recovery of two patients who would have tested negative for the virus on two occasions since previously testing positive, and said that the two hospitalised patients are also awaiting recovery testing.
Second testing facility established
The health minister also said the local laboratory at the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital has processed a record number of testing since August 17 when case number 12 was detected.
“Within a period of 18 days, our team has contact traced and has conducted tests on 1,823 new persons, bringing the total number of persons tested for the COVID-19 virus to 3,713, with 3,660 persons testing negative,” Malone said, adding that a second testing facility has now been established on Tortola.
“While testing for persons requiring certificates for travel and emergency admittance to the hospital will continue at the facility erected at the main hospital, the Sea Cow’s Bay Community Centre has now been fully commissioned as a temporary testing site for repatriates, existing quarantine, and for persons identified through the process of contact tracing,” the minister stated.
Only 3000 test kits available
Malone further said the territory currently has the capacity to only test 3,000 additional samples. However, measures are being taken to secure more.
“Efforts are on the way with Public Health England and other vendors to procure additional testing supplies, and other arrangements have been put in place to boost testing capacity,” he stated.
1,500 number only a projection
Minister Malone also addressed what he termed as a ‘misleading notion’ which from his last public address.
At the time, he said estimates from his team of health professionals was that approximately 1,482 undocumented persons, at a minimum, could be asymptomatic within the territory.
In an attempt to clarify that statement on Friday, Malone said: “This figure represented a scientific projection of what could have happened over a period of time if we had not acted swiftly to quell the outbreak.”
“Scientific modelling showed that if we had not acted quickly and decisively to suppress the current outbreak, the virus could have spread to many other persons within our community, but we did otherwise,” he explained.
The BVI now has a total of 52 active COVID-19 cases.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
Borders lockdown, only local could entry and the quarantine for 14days. Yet the country have coumminty spread. What a joke.
Test to reply
you don’t see ppl sneaking in
hush
Don’t you mean contact tracing and not contract.
Hi Karl Malone
You really are becoming a mailman. Just delivering messages without actually knowing what the message means.
Today you addressed the issue of the government being blamed for not having a plan. And then you come up with a 6 step framework with the expect it, stamp it out, manage it, recover from it steps.
Karl, that is not a plan. That is simply a framework in which you can put the right steps in the right order.
You still have not informed anyone about what you are going to do with the economy. Just to be sure, government spending money on building projects is not really kickstarting the economy. That is just increasing government debt, which in the long run is not going to pay of.
Anyway, you are just the mailman. You have no …. what this all means.
The plan can be found here
https://bvi.gov.vg/content/covid-19-action-plan
That’s not a plan. That’s a 52 page framework.
No actual plans on what to do in October, November, December.
Just a very long general framework.
That “ plan” must have been what Claude provided for $100,000
good that the minister came clean that he had propogated misleading notions. he needn’t have come across so angry about it though and could have been more humble. he aint no trump.
If the truth be told Carvin, you didn’t scientifically or otherwise project almost 1,500. In fact, you said, ” …current estimates place our undocumented cases at approximately 1,482 persons at a minimum.” We are listening, Carvin. No fools here.
That said, I don’t see anything wrong with the current estimates of 1,500. It is the reality and we need to know this. If there are that many out there then we each likely encountered at least one person with it in the last two weeks. Now, WE must responsibly decide whether we speak to, touch, breathe in and take home the shared oxygen filled Covid pellets that can result from that ONE interaction. It’s that simple.
Stay home people!
The VIP has got to go
I’m sure if NDP was in the borders would have done been open and there would have been much more cases and your mouths would have been shut tight. It would have been Nature’s dirty little secret walking among us.
I often tell people that I believe the right people are in place to handle this thing. Under the NDP the place would have been swarming with the infection long before now and we would still be broke
I don’t know why people so paranoid over this. I’ve got friends around the world who had this and now they’re okay
These guys just dont know what they doing.
The only people that really benefiting from Covid is doctors and supermarkets so if you telling me that NDP would be the savior knowing how many people in their camp that are in these field you would be stupid.
So you mean to tell me that 6 months into this pandemic, the government has only managed to get 6,713 tests? They should have had at least 30,000! And only 8.
Have you been watching the news, there are only a few manufacturers making these test kits, and the whole world is demanding them. Could it be a possibility that there is a shortage of tests everywhere?
I see no need for Ministers or other persons to get angry when it is said that the Government has no plan. i share the same sentiments for it seems that even though we know about covid-19 for some time now, we have not prepared the country to deal with. The Minister of Health has said that they only have 8 ventilators; that they only have about just over three thousand testing kits remaining; and that they will be trying to source some more. If the Government had a plan, we would not have been in this predicament. Right now they are focusing on testing police officers and anyone who might have been exposed to someone who tested positive and goes to their testing sites, they are told that they are only testing police. That is a shame because such a person is being allowed to move around the community and could bring harm to others.
I am sick of you guys running your mouth about things you do not have an inkling about. Do you know how hard it Is to procure any piece of equipment needed to combat Covid, These things are in demand all over the world and companies can only put their clients on a waiting list because the demand is to great. Be thankful you have any at all because there a still countries who have to send their test to a reference lab.
My gosh…
We know this. That’s what the ministers alread knows too. Sont come down on the people, we are all concern. The ministers are wearing of the amount of testing kits here is and was on the island and how much there are in demand and how small island like us well have gets the back bunner, that’s why measures should of been in place long time, so that we dont have to go through this.
That’s my two pence.
@Please
https://www.caymancompass.com/2020/04/04/private-aircraft-to-collect-200000-testing-kits-for-cayman/
Where there is no vision the people perish. Caymans purchased 200,000 kits back in April. they could test their population 3 times over. If we were proactive we would have done the same a matter of fact we could have purchased some of the kits from Cayman Islands. Jamaica and Zimbabwe did.
Let us stop making excuses for our lack of preparation.
Boss we fed up of your lies,go hold another seat.Sowande done take yours.
Here is a plan. If you are a smoker, obese, have hypertension, diabetes, cancer, lupus, over age 65, stay HOME. The rest of you have a 1% chance of dying if you contract Covid. Or, you can continue to lock down and prevent all commerce. The economic and psychological toll will be worse.
Less than 1%! I agree with you 100%
funny I don’t see nobody home running from the flu but covid got we momo…
so funny America have the vacine days before election. All these leaders playing with us.
The vaccine worse than the Covid. Fast tracked untested technology that can change your very dna. No one knows the long term risks, cancer, sterility , autoimmune disease….
Did so many other Caribbean Islands obtain tests and equipment that are sufficient? For only one instance The Caymans, A British Territory like us has tested 36,000. Why Minister of Health, haven’t you been able to secure the tests for the BVI? There are also ample ventilators that were obtained by Cayman health officials in April as part of their Covid19 plan. Where are our tests and equipment? Where is the plan? This suggests mismanagement of our leaders in turn affecting our lives. Our health and livelyhoods. Do you think this is a game? Perhaps the Caymans accepted help from our Motherland. Perhaps we should as well. Stop with the political games for the sake of our country. Please.
@tell us why then
The 12 million must be part of the NHI bailout plan?
A VIRUS SO DANGEROUS WE NEED A TEST TO SEE IF WE HAVE IT, WITH A TEST THAT DOES NOT TEST FOR IT!
The things you can’t hide for long; the sun, the moon and the truth.