By Caribbean News Global contributor
ST GEORGES, Grenada – Acting chief medical officer, Dr Shawn Charles, confirmed receipt of the Delta variant in Grenada following test results from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) on Thursday morning and disclosed that two of the cases have already been medically cleared and the third is expected to be cleared soon.
In a press release, the ministry of health, said: “ The samples were collected on July 26, from arriving passengers from the United States and sent to CARPHA for testing. The cases include a 48-year old male returning national and two non-nationals, a 33-year old female and a 34-year old male. Only one of the three was vaccinated. No secondary infections connected to these three cases have been identified to date, said Dr Charles, compliance with the COVID-19 protocols is a critical factor in the fight against the spread of the virus.
“What matters in large part is human behaviour,” said Dr Charles:
- “Is the population inclined to adhere to the protocols, wearing face masks, avoiding crowded settings, and sanitizing regularly?
- “Another key consideration is the attitude to vaccination, are people utilising the option to protect themselves against this deadly disease?
“At the end of the day, we can provide advice as health professionals, but it is really the level of compliance and vaccine uptake that will determine our continued success in the fight against COVID-19,” the acting chief medical officer, added: “It is the Delta variant that decimated India earlier this year, with thousands succumbing to its deadly attack. We know for a fact that this variant is far more contagious and deadly.”
Dr Charles advised that “armed with this knowledge, the population ought to be keen to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their loved ones. Having not experienced any serious outbreak of COVID-19 here, if the Delta strain enters the population, the impact can be quite concerning.”
The ministry of health noted that, prior to Thursday’s confirmation of the three Delta cases, Grenada had recorded three cases of the Alpha variant, which was predominant in the United Kingdom. To date, 182 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Grenada, and at present, there are ten active cases.
