BYisrael: Tobago covid situation ‘critical’

Tobago’s healthcare system is overwhelmed and workers are exhausted, says Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection Dr Faith BYisrael.

Addressing Wednesday’s virtual post-Executive Council media briefing, the first since the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) assumed office last week after winning the December 6 elections, BYisrael said the covid19 situation in Tobago has got worse.

She said systems must be put in place to treat with this “critical situation.

“Unfortunately our facilities, as it relates to health and wellness, are very close to capacity – they are in the 70, 80 and 90 per cent.

“What does that mean in reality? It means that as we go along, as people get more sick, we are going to get to the point very quickly where we do not have sufficient bed spaces for the individuals who need bed spaces.”

BYisrael said as a result, a decision was made to house some of the covid19 patients at a facility in Lowlands. She thanked the owners for providing it without cost.

“Even if we have that new facility up and running by the end of today, if we do not take very close precautions and if we do not continue following the protocols as outlined, then we would very well get to the point where that facility is completely overwhelmed as well.”

She expressed her gratitude to healthcare workers, who, she said, have gone above and beyond their call of duty. She also said international partnerships are being sought to assist in Tobago’s fight against the virus.

“It may mean identifying individuals who can come in – doctors, nurses and so forth – who can come in and help us actually man the system. It may mean increasing our testing capacity, it may mean improving or increasing our treatment capacity, it may mean looking at how we do contact tracing.

“The fact is, I am going to continue having those conversations today and in the future.”

Additionally, she issued a call to all healthcare professionals who are retired, but still able and interested in volunteering their services to Tobago, to come on board.

“If you are interested in volunteering your services, you can e-mail all your relevant information/documents to tobagohealth@gov.tt.”

In the interim, she said a new vaccination process will be rolled out soon and people are being encouraged to get vaccinated.

“I want to understand why you are hesitant. I want to know what your concerns are. And when we have that conversation, I would be bringing the necessary information to you.

“The fact remains, though, that vaccinations are part of the larger group of protocols – the larger group of activities that we need to do to ensure that we withstand this pandemic known as covid19.”

She encouraged everyone to continue following the protocols – washing hands with soap and water, sanitising if not in a position to wash hands, wearing masks, physically distancing and staying at home if ill.

“If we do all these things, we would be able to withstand the situation that is happening.”