Statement by Dr. Sharon Belmar George, Chief Medical Officer
Saint Lucia has currently diagnosed 22934 cases and 33 active cases. The average daily infection rate for the past seven days is 3.4 per 100,000 inhabitants per day. This represents a 26% rise from last week. It also has a 4% average testing positive rate and a transmission of 0.5.
We have recorded 366 COVID-19-related deaths. Three cases of positive COVID-19 have been admitted to the Respiratory Hospital. One case is critically ill. As we continue to register new cases every day, we have noticed an increase in our indicators of public health this week. The Ministry of Health keeps an eye on the global and regional health situation and ensures that surveillance measures are maintained.
Globally, COVID-19 cases are rising with the greatest increase in the United Kingdom. There is a general decrease in the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States of America, with some states reporting significant rises. We also note that there is a major outbreak in Martinique.
Omicron BA.1 (sub-lineage) and Omicron BA.2 (lineage 2) are still transmitting intensely around the globe. Globally, the number of deaths has remained stable. These increases are due to the total removal of public health measures, especially in countries that have low vaccination coverage. We can all live comfortably with COVID-19. It is important that we ensure that we have our proven public protection measures in place to protect the most vulnerable as we eliminate restrictive measures and open up.
As COVID-19 continues its threat, we remind you to take the following steps: Avoid large crowds and crowded places; If you have respiratory symptoms, get medical attention and avoid contact with other people.
Avoid large meetings, crowded events and social gatherings.
We are seeing low vaccination rates at this time. The various Wellness Centres have access to the Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccinations. These vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective in protecting people from COVID-19 and its severe forms, complications and death.
Persons who have been fully immunized for more than six months are eligible for the booster vaccine. Everyone who hasn’t been vaccinated is encouraged to get it done immediately. We appeal to all organizations, private and public, to ensure that the public health protocols are maintained. Let us work together to maintain the low number COVID-19 cases so that we can all live, work, study, and recreate in safety with COVID-19.
