Covid protocols for Tobago schools

DAYS after the Ministry of Health revealed that there had been five deaths related to the covid19 virus since December, and at least one confirmed death from the flu, the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) has announced that all schools on the island will be reverting to covid protocols.

This was confirmed in a release dated January 15 from the Division of Education, Research and Technology, headed by secretary Zorisha Hackett.

The release said that as the division had noted an increase in the number of people on the island exhibiting symptoms associated with both covid and influenza, it advised all principals to return to covid protocols.

Particular attention, the advisory to school principals said, should be paid to entry protocols; providing proper sanitisation facilities, including sinks and cleaning agents; and providing sick bays.

The principals were also told to do a school-based internal covid safety protocols audit to ascertain the adequateness (or lack thereof) of current resources and school officials’ ability to use these resources to implement the protocols.

This audit will also allow the division, and by extension the THA, to determine its ability to respond to the needs of all schools in order for the covid protocols to be implemented.

All principals were asked to provide to the division, by January 19, through their line supervisors:

The number of functional sinks

The number of additional sinks required

The number of entry points at the school and the current covid protocol status for these entry points

The capacity and resources currently available to the schools’ sick bays (if present)

The list of sanitisation and personal hygiene supplies needed to resume the covid protocols

The current intake of students categorised by male and female and also by year groups.

The release was signed by the division’s Schools Supervisor III Sherry-Anne Rollocks-Hackett.

On Tuesday, Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection Dr Faith BYisrael announced that Tobago had four confirmed covid cases.

In a video address to the media, she said, “As far as I am aware, we have only recorded about four cases of covid19 in Tobago specifically between December and January. We have had no covid19-related deaths, as far as I am aware, in Tobago for that period.”

The THA deputy chief secretary said these were just the cases that were reported, but there may be people in communities across the island who have covid but have not reported to a health facility.

“We have also had no hospitalisations of covid19-related cases in Tobago, and therefore we have not had any cases that have made it into the ICU,” she clarified.

On Monday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh revealed there had been five covid-related deaths in the last three weeks, after almost two months of no reported covid cases or deaths. Of these deaths, two occurred between December 28 and December 31, and the other three people died between January 1 and January 15.

He made these revelations while speaking with reporters during the launch of the ministry’s influenza vaccination drive at the Divali Nagar in Endeavour, Chaguanas.

He also revealed that “vaccine fatigue” led to a sharp decline in the number of people seeking covid vaccines, which in turn led to the government's having to destroy 800,000 doses of covid vaccines in September, after they had reached their expiration date.

The minister also revealed that nine people were hospitalised with covid, including one  in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Only San Fernando General Hospital and the Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility are accepting covid patients at this time.

Elsewhere in the Caribbean, Grenada reported a continuous rise in covid cases, with health officials saying there were 17 confirmed cases in the first week of this year. There have been no deaths so far.

A CANA news report said Grenada’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Shawn Charles said while there were seven confirmed cases recorded for November 27-December 31, the island recorded 17 cases during the period January 1-8.