Covid19 cases remain steady for last month

EPIDEMIOLOGIST Dr Avery Hinds said the number of people testing positive for covid19 appears to be flattening between September into October.

At the virtual health news conference on Saturday, Hinds said this development is reflected in the number of new people testing covid19-positive daily.

Referring to a graph showing the transmission of the virus for the last month, Hinds said, "Basically, it is sort of a flat line, if you look at that dotted line running through the graph. That means it is sort of plateauing, with regard to the number of new people testing positive on a given day."

Hinds said the largest number of people testing positive remains in the 25-49 age group. In terms of people who died from covid19, Hinds said while most deaths occurred in older people, there have been covid-related deaths among people 30-34 years old.

"More of the deaths have occurred in men. The 70-79 age group (men and women) is the grouping that has the majority of the deaths."

Hinds said the spread of covid19 across the country remains heaviest in high population centres in North to South Trinidad and along the East-West Corridor.

"The main takeaways from the entomological situation at present is as follows. If we're seeing a plateau, we are not really going down very quickly, we are going down very slowly, if at all."

Hinds said this information suggests that the behaviour of citizens towards the virus is "just keeping the virus bubbling slowly, somewhere along the line."

He said the country was entering a phase of trying to eliminate virus transmission.

Hinds said it is important now for people to focus on risk mitigation or risk reduction in this phase of combating covid19. He explained this involves continued adherence to all covid19 protocols, such as people staying home if they are ill and maintaining proper social and physical distancing in public, wearing masks and washing hands frequently.

At a news conference at the Diplomatic Centre on October 10, the Prime Minister announced relaxation on some covid19 measures, such as increasing the number of people who could gather at funerals from ten to 20 and allowing tours of the Caroni Swamp and Buccoo Reef to resume.

Dr Rowley also said measures will be relaxed on bars, restaurants and places of worship by October 24, once there are no significant increases in positive cases. Bars and restaurants have been forbidden to host in-house dining/service since mid-March. Places of worship are restricted from holding religious services or gatherings and have been operating virtually.