There will be no changes to existing public health regulations, as Trinidad and Tobago has the first confirmed case of the British Covid-19 variant – B117.
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said on Monday that the ministry would not take any action on the knee and base its decisions on epidemiological evidence. The discovery of the variant in a repatriated citizen from the UK may also not affect the plans for the reopening of schools, Deyalsingh said.
During yesterday’s virtual news conference, dr. Roshan Parasram, medical officer, said the patient had no exposure to the general population as all protocols were followed. He explained that the patient had traveled from the UK on 6 January and had taken a negative Covid-19 test before traveling. According to him, the patient was quarantined according to the current requirements, and a further swipe determined that the patient was Covid-19 positive. The sample was sent for genomic sequencing to the University of the West Indies (UWI), where it was determined that the patient had the British variant of the virus.
Parasram said there were 49 people on the UK flight to Trinidad, and they were all quarantined and fired after producing negative swabs.
Epidemiologist dr. Avery Hinds said that the British variant, although producing the same symptoms, showed easier and that it could be up to 70 per cent more transmissible.
“So it’s a matter of public health,” he said. Hinds said, however, there is no evidence that the variant is worse or more deadly than the original virus, and that it does not affect the accuracy of the antigen and PCR tests. He added that there was also no evidence that the Covid-19 vaccine would not be effective against the new variant.
Deyalsingh said that in light of the information so far, no further restrictions are needed.
“We are reviewing the epidemiological evidence, and we will review it now that we have this single case,” he said. “It’s too early to get reactions out of the knee.”
This includes decisions to delay the reopening of schools. The Ministry of Health met with education officials on Thursday to discuss plans for the partial reopening of schools, which was originally planned for February 8th.
Deyalsingh said he was talking to Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly and recommending that no decisions be taken on the knee.
The Ministry of Education is expected to announce the guidelines for reopening schools next week.