14 COVID-19 Related Deaths, 302 New Cases

Fourteen families have been plunged into mourning on this, the first day of the New Year, as 14 people succumbed to COVID-19 overnight. In the latest update from the Ministry of Health, it says among the latest fatalities are six men and eight women, taking the death total for the virus to 2,883. The comorbidities present in the deceased today are diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. The Ministry also confirmed 302 new cases of COVID-19. Active cases of the virus now stand at 15,348. Eighty one people have been discharged from public health facilities while 471 people remain at hospital and are being treated for the virus. On Friday, the Ministry reported an additional confirmed case of the Omicron variant in Trinidad and Tobago, bringing the national total to 12. This new case has also renewed calls by the Ministry of Health for vaccination among the population. According to the Ministry, the case is a Returning National who returned from Pakistan via Qatar and Miami and was confirmed via gene sequencing at the Faculty of Medical Sciences Lab, UWI. The person provided a Negative PCR test 72 hours before arrival, as per existing quarantine protocols. As a result of the Positive COVID-19 result, the patient is in isolation and will remain until discharge criteria is achieved. Contacts of the Positive case have been quarantined. To date, 108 countries have confirmed cases of the Omicron Variant of Concern.