Health Ministry: Trinidad and Tobago has capacity to test for omicron variant

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said Trinidad and Tobago has the capacity to test for the omicron variant should it arrive in TT. He said this could be carried out through the University of the West Indies molecular biology lab, which has detected the other variants present in the country.

Speaking at the ministry’s media conference on Wednesday, he said, once the variant is detected, UWI will notify the Health Ministry who would notify the public. He said it was likely that the variant was already present in TT but had not yet been detected.

Head of the Paediatric Emergency Department, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex Dr Joanne Paul said while the variant was first picked up in South Africa, it was already present in Europe and some African countries. She confirmed that if it was not already present in TT, it would be here soon.

“Significantly, with the mutation, it’s almost like having a separate covid19 virus again, and the worry is that it may not be picked up by our immune system and may be partially responsive to vaccines.

"We liaised with Prof Michele Monteil from UWI’s Medical Science Faculty, and she has been speaking to her South African colleagues who have confirmed they are seeing mild infections. That’s the trajectory of how pandemics go, you get the peak variant, and after that it gets milder and milder, and our immune systems get stronger and stronger to it, so we may or may not turn the corner from this.”

She said scientists were waiting to see how the omicron variant responded in different populations. She said more details were emerging daily.

“It might be milder so far with those small amounts in South Africa, but we have to see how it responds to the UK, US, and Caribbean population. It’s definitely going to be the dominant variant once it comes. It will overtake delta. We have to watch carefully and I have to reinforce, let’s get the protection. Let’s start having our physical health and vaccine health improved.”

Paul said children and older people had been presenting at health centres with flu-like symptoms and when tested, it was the flu and not covid19. She urged people to get both the flu vaccine and the covid19 vaccine to protect against both.

Paul reminded the public what to do should they test positive and are mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic.

“It doesn’t make sense to go rushing off somewhere. You have to monitor yourself and isolate from the rest of your family. Make sure you have your vitamin C, your fluids, rehydrate very often.

"Covid19 can cause inflammation of all your organs, especially the pancreas, so you don’t want to be eating too many sweet things, especially if you’re pre-diabetic.

"So eat your normal healthy diet. Have some mild exercise. Check your temperature. Make sure you have your oximeter.

"What I usually tell people is to be their own nurse and doctor at home. Take their vital sign three to four times a day: temperature, oxygen level, heart rate, breathing. Check in with yourself to see how you are. You might have some brain fog, so be patient with that.

She said if patients noticed any deterioration, they should call 811 and not wait.

“If you find you’re having shortness of breath, your fever has gone up, your oxygen level is going down – usually we optimise anything above 94-95 is fine. Make sure you’ve been liaising with your buddy nurse or doctor and if you need to, call 811.

"If you find it’s taking a while, a relative can pick you up, both of you with the appropriate PPE. They sit in front, and you sit in the back with the windows open so you don’t expose them and go to a health facility to be checked out.”