BY | FEB 13, 2021 | GOVERNMENT OF BARBADOS
The Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory reported 114 positive cases of COVID-19, which include results from samples collected between January 29 and February 12, 2021.
With the appropriate reagent now in place, the laboratory is in the process of clearing the backlog created due to the temporary use of manual extraction in the processing of samples.
These results were identified from among 2,720 tests conducted by the lab on Friday, February 12.
There were 29 recoveries, which bring the number of active cases to 422. Two persons passed away from COVID-19, a 45-year-old Trinidadian woman and a 75-year-old Barbadian woman, both with pre-existing non-communicable diseases. The Trinidadian passed on Thursday, February 11, but was inadvertently omitted from the total. The death toll from the viral illness is now 23.
The 114 cases comprise 60 women and 54 men. Four of them had already been at the Harrison Point Isolation Facility undergoing assessment to determine whether their positive PCR test result showed that they were newly positive, or had COVID-19 in the past and were no longer infectious. The other 110 cases include 109 Barbadians.
The total number of persons diagnosed as positive at Her Majesty’s Prisons Dodds remains at 363. Of this total, 361 have recovered, and the remaining two inmates are included in the active cases.
To date, Barbados has recorded 2,061 confirmed cases – 893 females and 1,168 males – and 1,616 persons have recovered. The public health laboratory has completed 112,556 tests, since February 2020.
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BARBADOS: Two More COVID-19 Deaths; Toll Now At 23
BY FEB 13, 2021 — GOVERNMENT OF BARBADOS
Barbados’ death toll from COVID-19 has risen to 23. The persons who were felled by the viral illness most recently are two females, an 80-year-old Trinidadian and a 75-year-old Barbadian.
The Barbadian senior passed away on the evening of February 12, after spending 3 days in the Primary Isolation Unit of the Harrison Point Isolation Facility. The Trinidadian national passed away this morning (February 13), after 15 days on a ventilator in Primary Isolation at Harrison Point.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness is extending condolences to the grieving families and friends of the deceased.
These deaths occurred as the Ministry of Health and Wellness is moving to take the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme to full roll-out. Some 100,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, a gift from the Government of India, will be used in the island’s vaccination programme; while part of this number will be shared with sister CARICOM countries.
Health Minister Lt. Col. Hon Jeffrey Bostic stressed the value of the COVID-19 vaccine as part of the arsenal in fighting the disease.
He commented that while questions had been asked about the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, it had been endorsed by the World Health Organisation as well suited to persons over 65. “This is important given the fact that senior citizens constitute a large percentage of the Barbadian population.”
Minister Bostic further commented that WHO had also indicated the vaccine was proven to have a high level of efficacy and was recommended by WHO for use “even in countries that have circulation of the (South African) variant.”
Up to this point, the COVID-19 vaccine has not been recommended for persons under 18 years old, but research is now ongoing to test the suitability of the AstraZeneca vaccine for minors.
In addition, the Minister pointed out that the WHO recommendations also addressed the fact that the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine does not require deep, subzero temperatures for storage like some of the other vaccines on the market. This makes the vaccine appropriate for use in tropical and developing countries with limited storage capacity.
The Minister said, “while being vaccinated is completely voluntary and a personal choice, the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), the nurses of Barbados, other health professionals, and Ministry officials hope that every Barbadian will take this opportunity to protect themselves and their loved ones from the illness, its more virulent forms and reduce the risk of death; this is what the vaccine offers.”
COVID Communications Unit Barbados
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BARBADOS: COVID-19 Update: 43 New Positives, 40 Recovered, 1 Death
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12, 2021 BGIS
There were 43 new positive COVID-19 cases identified on Thursday, February 11. They were among the 250 tests conducted by the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory.
Forty persons also recovered, bringing the number of active cases to 339. One person died from COVID-19 yesterday – a 79-year-old man. The casualties from the viral illness now stand at 21.
The 43 new cases comprise 20 women and 23 men. Five of them had already been at the Harrison Point Isolation Facility undergoing assessment to determine whether their positive PCR test result showed that they were in fact newly positive, or whether they had COVID-19 in the past and were no longer infectious.
Of the 38 other cases, 35 are Barbadians and three are non-nationals.
The total number of persons diagnosed as positive at Her Majesty’s Prisons Dodds is 363. Of these, 361 have recovered and the remaining two inmates are included in the active cases.
To date, Barbados has recorded 1,947 confirmed cases – 833 females and 1,114 males – and 1,587 persons have recovered. The public health laboratory has so far completed 110,086 tests.
