[UPDATED] Quarantine facilities packed as hundreds return home

The country’s parallel health care system to deal with covid19 cases is full and will be so for the next two weeks barring a positive case.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said, “We will not be able to accommodate big groups and let us hope that no one presents with positive tests because if we get any positive tests it means that a facility cannot be turned around in two weeks. It will take longer, whichever facility it is that, unfortunately a positive test should turn up in. That facility, by protocol, would have to undergo it’s own quarantine, its own air-out period, for a period of about two weeks.”

During the ministry's virtual press conference on Saturday, he said there were plans to use the Arima Hospital for covid19 patients but that was under review since there were no patients in either Couva or Caura hospitals.

He said it was a “wait and see” situation because the ministry had to assume that the 306 people quarantined on the cruise ship docked at Port of Spain and the over 200 students coming in from Jamaica and Barbados, and those returning from Mexico and other countries had the potential to be positive.

“If a significant portion happens to be positive then we have to have facilities...We have 100 places for secondary and tertiary care at Caura and another 200 and something plus. But many cases that turn positive may not need a hospital environment. That is why we have to be so careful in not making firm commitments.”

Therefore, Deyalsingh said the decision to bring in more nationals would depend on test results of those already scheduled to return. He added that quarantine at home was not being encouraged because there was no guarantee people would stay at home.

306 in quarantine on cruise ship

Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards, principal medical officer in charge of institutions at the Health Ministry added that on Thursday there were nine transfers in 12 hours, and on Friday 336 people were managed and quarantined during a 12-hour period. These included 306 people from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Enchantment of the Seas, 29 from Venezuela, and one separate individual who was given an exemption to return to TT.

She said 370 additional nationals would arrive between today and June 17. These would include 142 UWI students from the UWI Mona campus and other tertiary institutions in Jamaica to be quarantined at UWI St Augustine campus. Smaller groups from two cruise ships would also arrive on June 15.

Richards said 957 people have been managed under the system including clinical care, testing, and counselling, and 616 were returning nationals. She explained there were 918 beds for specialised care for covid19 in 13 state-run facilities. And the division of beds and space was based on international standards – five to seven per cent for ICU care, 15 to 20 per cent for moderately ill people, and the rest for quarantine facilities.

She said returning nationals would first undergo a risk assessment based on the individual’s history to decide in which facility they would be placed, then they would be quarantined an undergo medical assessment including a PCR test.

On arrival they were transported to their assigned centres by the Defence Force and police, after which the vehicles were decontaminated. Within 12 hours of settling down and being fed, they were brought for medical and covid19 testing, usually two at a time.

She said they also ensured patients had communications links with the people who ran the centres, mental health services, and quality assurance mechanisms as they attempted to keep improving where possible based on feedback.

Bars last of businesses to reopen

Deyalsingh said in the public sector, there was already PCR testing at Carpha and at the UWI virology lab at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex. Scarborough Hospital in Tobago was in the process of clearing test kits from Customs, and test kits arrived at San Fernando General Hospital on Friday but they would have to go through a certification process before being used.

He said one private lab received “the green light” to test for covid19 but a false result was still obtained so the Ministry was “moving cautiously” with the validation of private labs.

With respect to bars, he said given the nature of social interactions there, including the lowering of inhibitions when people drink, the wearing of masks and social distancing would be difficult to control. That was one of the reasons bars would be one of the last businesses to reopen.

“We want to make sure that the environment is as theoretically free from covid19 as possible because we know when bars are opened, even though we have received the recommendations for protocols, we know in a bar setting, it is not going to be adhered to. So we are prepared for that.”

On the issue of stigmatisation of former covid19 patients, he stressed that people had to get two negative results before they were discharged from a facility.

“That would give the person and their family a high degree of confidence that they are free from the virus and that they could go home.”

Still, he said, stigma and discrimination was a real issue so he would never speak about individuals. He said they were entitled to anonymity and their privacy.

Richards added that the stigma was not just towards the patient but also to people in which they come in contact such as co-workers and family members. Therefore the ministry had a counselling hotline to help deal with the issue.

She also noted that elective surgery, which resumed in mid-May, was operating at 80 per cent of the pre-pandemic levels and was expected to reach normal levels in the next two weeks.

Covid19 health system full with hundreds in quarantine

The parallel health care system to deal with covid19 cases will be at full capacity for the next two weeks.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said with the 306 on board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Enchantment of the Seas, and over 200 UWI students set to return this week, he hoped no one in TT would test positive.

Dr Mary Abdool-Richards, acting principal medical officer in charge of institutions, added that during a 12-hour period on Friday, 336 people were managed and quarantined, including 306 from the cruise ship, 29 from Venezuela, and one separate individual who was given an exemption to return to TT.

Richards said 370 additional nationals would arrive between Saturday and June 17. These would include 142 UWI students from the Mona campus and other tertiary institutions in Jamaica to be quarantined at the UWI St Augustine campus.

“We have persons from two cruise ships, smaller groups, who received their exemptions and would be coming in on the 15th of June as well.”

Deyalsingh added if a positive test occurred at a facility, there was a protocol of a two-week sanitisation and quarantine process so the decision to bring in more nationals would depend on test results of those already scheduled to return.

This story was originally published with the title "Covid19 health system full with hundreds in quarantine" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

The parallel health care system to deal with covid19 cases will be at full capacity for the next two weeks.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said with the 306 on board the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Enchantment of the Seas, and over 200 UWI students set to return this week, he hoped no one in TT would test positive.

Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards, acting principal medical officer in charge of institutions, added that during a 12-hour period on Friday, 336 people were managed and quarantined, including 306 from the cruise ship, 29 from Venezuela, and one separate individual who was given an exemption to return to TT.

Richards said 370 additional nationals would arrive between Saturday and June 17. These would include 142 UWI students from the Mona campus and other tertiary institutions in Jamaica to be quarantined at the UWI St Augustine campus.

“We have persons from two cruise ships, smaller groups, who received their exemptions and would be coming in on the 15th of June as well.”

Deyalsingh added if a positive test occurred at a facility, there was a protocol of a two-week sanitisation and quarantine process so the decision to bring in more nationals would depend on test results of those already scheduled to return.