Ministry Of Health’s Media Conference on COVID-19 – Saturday August 22nd 2020:

Key Points From The Ministry Of Health’s Media Conference on COVID-19 – Saturday August 22nd 2020: - Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said health officials are working assiduously to move T&T from "Community Spread" back to "Cluster Spread" - which is mostly confined to a smaller circle. He said testing must be ramped up in order to accomplish this. - The Health Minister also apologised to persons at step down/quarantine facilities who are awaiting COVID-19 test results. He expects the problem to be rectified in a day or two. - Two key decisions have been taken: Schools will reopen in January 2021, and the Brooklyn Settlement facility in Sangre Grande has now been reserved to treat senior citizens who may need specialised care for COVID-19. - More beds and facilities to be added (Penal/Debe with 110 beds and UTT with 100-150 beds). Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said there is physical capacity (beds, facilities) to deal with COVID-19 in the health system. However, the human resource capacity (health care workers) is another matter. It can get overwhelming for them and many have reported being burnt out. - Minister Deyalsingh admitted that health officials have not been getting the public’s cooperation in some instances. He cited a report which stated that police had to break up an event at a private residence where 32 people had gathered. He urged citizens not to congregate or stage gatherings. The Health Minister also received reports of bars closing their doors and encouraging patrons to stay inside their establishments to watch CPL games in an enclosed environment. He said, "That type of behaviour is what is going to give us problems... Stay home. Only go out for necessary purchases." - As of Monday August 17th 2020, there were 19,000 COVID-19 Test Kits in the country. Twenty thousand more Test Kits are coming in from Canada and 100,000 from another source. Twenty five more GeneXpert machines have been ordered for the major health facilities. - Principal Medical Officer - Epidemiology, Dr. Naresh Nandram, provided an update on COVID-19 Testing and Reporting. He reminded that hundreds of persons can get infected from a singular COVID-19 case. He urged persons who are ill to stay home and follow the Public Health Guidelines on COVID-19 as this will cut down on the number of persons being sought (through contact tracing) for testing. - Dr. Nandram confirmed that as of this morning, approximately 600 samples remain to be tested for COVID-19. To clear this backlog, the Ministry is utilising a private lab. The samples went to the private lab yesterday and results are expected within the next day. - There are also plans to expand and digitise the system so COVID-19 tests will be requested digitally. Dr. Nandram said with the end of paper-based forms, the lag time will be "brought effectively to nil. This will be close to real-time reporting as can possibly be had." - Approval has been granted/funding identified to procure a PCR machine to establish a molecular testing service at the Trinidad Public Health Laboratory. It is expected that the lab will be running on a 24-hour basis. Additional staff will be brought on. - The Medical Research Foundation (MRF) is awaiting the green light from CARPHA to start testing for COVID-19. - Chief Medical Officer Dr. Roshan Parasram confirmed an adjustment in the discharge criteria from a Secondary/Tertiary facility to a Step Down facility, and from a Step Down facility to home. - Dr. Parasram said temperature checks on the forehead or wrist can work to tell if you have a fever. However, it is not a singular check to see if you have COVID-19. Businesses should ask/look for other signs and symptoms of the virus. - Dr. Parasram stated that 92 persons at Paria hotel are expected to be discharged today or tomorrow.