Covid19 contingencies for Tobago

Any person in Tobago who is diagnosed with covid19 will be transported to Trinidad on a coast guard vessel and taken for treatment and isolation at either the Caura or Couva hospitals.

A sample will be sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency, the designated lab, for testing before a patient is taken to Trinidad. The sample takes about 24 hours in transit and the test is completed between three to four hours, said Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram.

Parasram was addressing the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee at Cabildo Building, Port of Spain on Wednesday.

“(Where patients are treated) is based on the symptoms at the time,” Parasram said. “We have space at Caura. We are outfitting (and are) almost completed outfitting Couva, in terms of ICU capacity. We have ICU in other hospitals that can be used as well. So it depends on the status of the patient.”

Tobago’s health representatives, he said, have expressed concern about the Scarborough hospital potentially being used as a centre for treatment.

“It’s Tobago’s only major hospital and they are looking at contamination. That the safer bet would be to bring them to Trinidad if we have a confirmed case.”

Both Couva and Caura hospitals are currently being outfitted and space maximised for all eventualities. Some 28 beds are available in Caura, while a 112-bed space in a section of the Couva paediatric tower has also been earmarked for use.

Parasram said in terms of transport, using coast guard vessels will likely be the best option and the use of private helicopters is also being explored.

Parasram outlined a three-tier system, which will dictate the health response to covid19 locally.

Tier one, the lowest, is a situation where a returning TT citizen comes from a country identified as at risk and has symptoms. The response is for the person to be quarantined at home.

At tier two, a TT citizen returns from a country not identified as at risk, and days later presents with symptoms and is confirmed as a positive case. The response is to isolate the patient immediately and look at possible school closure and dissuasion of mass gatherings.

The third tier is a situation in which covid19 escalates to a large group or groups of people confirmed positive in different localities throughout the country. The potential response is a state of emergency.

Parasram maintained that the best preventative measures are the regular washing of hands and sanitisation of solid surfaces, especially objects like doorknobs and desks.

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person, particularly between people who are in close contact with each other (about six feet).

It is spread through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby and can possibly be inhaled.