CMO: Two out of 14,222 fully vaccinated have tested covid19-positive

OUT of 14,222 fully vaccinated people who entered Trinidad and Tobago, since its borders were reopened on July 17, only two people tested covid19-positive.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram made this statement during the virtual health news conference on Wednesday.

Thee two people tested positive for the covid19 delta variant.

Parasram said all the protocols were followed with respect to them and anyone they came into contact with, to prevent any spread of the virus. Based on available evidence to date, Parasram said there was no need at this time to alter protocols for entry into TT where covid19 is concerned.

He also said covid19 surveillance done by the Health Ministry together with UWI, included checking for the presence of the new mu variant as well as the delta and other variants of concern.

The mu variant was added to the WHO’s watchlist on August 30 after it was detected in 39 countries and found to possess a cluster of mutations that may make it less susceptible to the immune protection many have acquired. The WHO said the mu variant “has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape.”

This variant was first identified in Colombia in January. While it makes up less than 0.1 per cent of covid infections globally, it may be gaining ground in Colombia and Ecuador, where it accounts for 39 and 13 per cent of covid cases respectively.

The WHO has not determined whether the mu variant could be more transmissible than the delta variant, the dominant covid19 variant globally at this time.

On the TT under-21 hockey team being denied re-entry into the country because their PCR test results were in Spanish, Parasram said one of the protocols for entry into TT was for those results to be in English. He added that the National Security Ministry could be better placed to address this issue.

The team was trying to return from Chile on Tuesday after participating in the Junior Pan Am Hockey Championships in Santiago.