BVI News

HOA members volunteering to get tested amid COVID surge

Health Minister Carvin Malone

Health Minister Carvin Malone has revealed that staff members and legislators in the House of Assembly (HOA) have volunteered to undergo COVID-19 testing.

In a Facebook post last evening, Malone indicated that he has tested negative for the coronavirus and said the testing was done in the ‘abundance of caution and to ease the curiosity of many’.

The move follows news that both the Premier and Deputy Premier were among the scores of persons who’ve returned positive COVID test results recently. The territory is currently experiencing a rising surge of COVID-19 positive cases, with more than 100 additional cases detected in the last few days.

Only two days ago, it was announced that the territory had 256 positive cases of the virus, but a further update yesterday revealed that there are now 275 active positive cases.

According to a bulletin released, a great majority of those cases (232 persons) are based on Tortola, while Virgin Gorda follows with 42 positive cases. No cases have been reported on either Anegada or Jost Van Dyke.

It was further disclosed that eight persons have been hospitalised as a result of contracting the virus.

The BVI’s COVID-19 related death toll currently stands at 39 persons, the vast majority of which occurred during a surge in cases in July and August of this year.

At that time, more than 1,600 active positive cases had been announced before the territory began to see any decline in its positivity rate.

BVI should see decline in cases soon

Meanwhile, Minister Malone expressed some level of optimism that with the cooperation of residents and visitors, the territory should soon see a report of net decreases in positive cases instead of the current gradual increase.

He urged that there be continued vigilance and pleaded for persons to ‘temper’ their exuberance this weekend.

The Health Minister’s pleadings come as the territory stands at the cusp of a new year, and watches closely as the traditional myriad of festivities and large gatherings are slated to mark the occasion.

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17 Comments

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  1. VIP says:

    SUPER SPREADERS

  2. GTFOH says:

    Volunteered? Anybody that was in close contact with someone that tested positive should get tested.

    Like 13
    Dislike 1
  3. heckler says:

    Lets hope that they test all the little children that were seen sitting in the premier’s lap

    Like 2
    Dislike 1
  4. positive/negative says:

    His test might be a fake, who knows?

    Like 3
    Dislike 1
  5. LB says:

    What good does testing do except add to the case count? If you know you sick just stay home and isolate for a few days. Simple. Going for a test and testing positive isn’t like they can do anything to help you. All they will do is tell you go home and isolate.

    But they want you to test so the cases will increase and it can fuel the paranoia in public and scare people to go vaccinate. They are just driving their agenda..

    98% of positive cases are not serious illness or hospitalization and all recover. Herd immunity was achieved a long time ago is they counted people who have natural immunity from already having the virus and fighting it off and recovering. Without a vaccine.

    The 8 hospitalizations in a 35000 population is people with covid who are in the hospital for other reasons too. Talk that.

    Like 12
    Dislike 2
  6. Hmm says:

    They will get tested for free so why other people have to pay with contact tracing??

    Like 5
    Dislike 2
  7. In quarantine? says:

    Where is the esteemed speaker he is very quiet

  8. @ POSITIVE/ NEGATIVE says:

    you could be right , these set of actors got some skills ? and after the last mud slinging and snitiching election / and look how the deputy SMILING ? makes you wonder

  9. @ IN QUARANTINE says:

    that genius is at work doing nothing bumilingt plotting his usual set of VINDICTIVENESS/ while carV-in and the big YOUTH from the east smiling ? like santa ?

  10. Sickening says:

    So true he plotting

  11. Curfew says:

    They need to implement a curfew now.

  12. @@ sickening says:

    Hope he plotting to save the vip because things not looking good but I have never underestimate the work of the esteemed

  13. ?? says:

    Why aren’t the ministers that were exposed to the Premier and Dep Premier in quarantine as per contact tracing rules? Why are there allowed to still mingle with us

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