The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment was informed this morning August 27, 2021 by CARPHA of the COVID-19 sequencing results of positive samples collected from patients in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on August 12, 2021, received at the CARPHA lab on August 17, 2021 and sent to the COVID19 IMPACT project lab on August 18, 2021. The COVID19 IMPACT project lab reported on August 26, 2021 to CARPHA that the delta variant of concern (VOC) – B.1.617.2 was detected in two samples.
One sample was collected during entry screening at the AIA from a fully vaccinated traveler who arrived from England with a negative PCR result on August 12, 2021. The Molecular Lab Unit (MLU) of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment subsequently reported on August 12, 2021 that the traveler had tested positive. The other sample was from an unvaccinated traveler who arrived on August 9, 2021 and tested positive on August 12, 2021 while in quarantine. Both travelers then transitioned to approved isolation accommodations, and have since tested negative for COVID-19.
Routine contact tracing detected six other COVID-19 positive cases associated with these travelers. All of these positive cases have since been cleared by negative SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) PCR tests.
Three (3) new COVID-19 positive cases were reported from two hundred and nineteen (219) samples processed on Wednesday August 25th, 2021, resulting in a positivity rate of 1.4%. Two (2) new COVID-19 positive cases were reported from two hundred and ninety-three (293) samples processed on Thursday August 26th, 2021, resulting in a positivity rate of 0.7%.
Sixteen (16) new recoveries were noted over the reporting period. Eighteen (18) cases are currently active and twelve (12) persons with COVID-19 have died. Two thousand three hundred and thirty-one (2331) cases of COVID-19 and two thousand, three hundred and one (2301) recoveries have been recorded in St. Vincent and the Grenadines since March 2020.
