The Caribbean Public Health Agency CARPHA revealed a new positive COVID-19 case for St. Vincent and the Grenadines on April 21, the first since April 9, 2020. Since then, speculation has been rife, about the origin of this latest case.
The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment. wishes to advise the public that there is no evidence of community transmission relative to COVID-19, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
According to the Chief Medical Officer Dr Simone Keizer Beache, ongoing preliminary investigations into the new case point to a possible local transmission, since the individual in question has no known travel history.
In distinguishing between local and community spread, Dr Keizer Beache notes that according to CARPHA, Community Spread refers to instances where several people in a community test positive for COVID-19 without any known contact with an imported case.
“Local spread” or a “Secondary case” describes a situation where the person was never abroad, but was exposed to an imported case, so that the source of the infection can be identified.
Dr Keizer Beache is assuring the public that the Ministry, the official source of COVID-19 information in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, remains committed to providing, timely, accurate and relevant information, as we continue to manage this public health challenge together.
