Dr Hinds: Lower rate of covid19 tests positive

Epidemiologist Dr Avery Hinds said the percentage of patients testing positive for covid19 has dropped to approximately 32-33 per cent, from a high of 43 per cent in May.

Speaking at the Health Ministry’s media conference on Wednesday, Hinds said this would only continue if people continued to follow the public health regulations to curb the spread of the virus.

“For the month of June we have been seeing some reduced numbers with respect to the number of new cases that have been diagnosed on a given day. But in spite of that, we need to caution the population that the downward trend can only be maintained if we continue to maintain the public health behaviours that help to reduce spread.

"There’s been decreased positivity overall meaning that the percentage of individuals whose tests come back positive has now fallen to 32-33 per cent, whereas it was at a high of 43 per cent in May. All of these are positive signs that all the interventions that have been put in place have been working.”

Hinds said the death rate per capita is in line with the global figures for case fatality, as it is around two per cent.

“What we have noticed, however, is that there has been infiltration into certain vulnerable populations. A couple elder-care homes did have some cases, and as seen in international situations, once that happens, there are additional fatal outcomes because of the age group and comorbidities of the people affected.

"That may to some extent contribute to some of the increase that would been seen, but currently the case fatality rate is still in line with the global average.”

Hinds said to his knowledge, there had been no formal exemptions given to allow people to breach quarantine, as this would thwart the key mechanism of quarantine, which serves to prevent transmission. He said electronic monitoring methods were among options being considered for people in quarantine.

“The first level of quarantine enforcement is that level of personal responsibility that we expect that responsible, right-thinking adults will maintain in preventing themselves from transmitting illness to other people.

"The second level is that as the quarantine order is a legal order. We can call on the support of the TTPS in enforcing quarantine where need be if someone has breached quarantine. We’re hoping that’s not the main mechanism to which we’ll have to have recourse.”

Asked about whether it was known how many deaths would have occurred from the H1N1 flu over the last year, he said the testing system had been overtaken by covid19 testing.

“The genomic testing capacity for H1N1 was taken over by the testing for the large volumes of covid19 samples we received, so there hasn’t been that level of determination of the other respiratory pathogens, as it would be the same resources that would need to determine either/or. So priority was given to the current public health threat.

"Eventually things will return and these figures will be available.”

Hinds said even though there was a four in a million chance of cases of vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia thrombosis occurring, this did not mean a million vaccines had to be given out for the syndrome to occur.

“When they say four in a million, it doesn’t mean that you have to get to a million before you get four cases. You can get the four early and then get no more, or not get any until the last four – it is a random occurrence.

"So at this point, with the small numbers we have, there’s nothing that can be said about our risk, but we continue to monitor the situation and the occurrence of these cases.”