Health Ministry confirms 2nd covid19 case in TT

The Ministry of Health has announced confirmation of a second case of covid19 in TT in a release on Friday night. The patient is a 66-year-old male with a recent travel history (less than 14 days ago).

The ministry said the man with a recent travel history (less than 14 days ago) went to a public health facility on Thursday, was immediately attended to in the accident and emergency department and isolated. The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) informed ministry officials of the positive covid19 test result at 7.44 pm on Friday.

"The relevant county medical officer of health has already initiated contact tracing of persons who have been in close interaction with the patient. All persons who may have been exposed will be quarantined," the release added.

However, the first patient identified with covid19 in TT has been warded at the Caura Chest Hospital. A source on Friday said he arrived at the hospital late on Thursday night. He had flown into Trinidad on Monday after conducting business in Switzerland.

The source said the man, who is Swiss and resides in TT, will recover and his hospitalisation is just a precaution. The man's family has been in isolation since it was determined that he had the virus. They have tested negative. The patient's daughter attends the Maria Regina Private School which has been closed for one week to sanitise the building.

The man's quarantine is being carried out under tuberculosis protocols and contact tracing is being conducted to find the people who may have been in close personal contact with him.

At least 64 people have been tested for the virus and there are now two confirmed cases.

The Maple Leaf Private School was also closed after it was discovered that a teacher's husband was the pilot on the flight where a 52-year-old Guyanese woman, who died from covid19, was a passenger.

There was a scare at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope, where an ambulance technician was seen wearing a hazmat suit and wheeling in a woman of Asian descent. However, an official at the facility said the technician was being "overly cautious" and left nothing to chance. The technician works for a private ambulance service.