As of Friday, three patients had been admitted to the hospital to be treated for Covid-19 out of the 13 people who have tested positive this year, according to Health and Social Development Minister Marlon Penn.
Mr. Penn provided a brief update and a “word of advice” for residents during Friday’s House of Assembly sitting, where he noted a decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases confirmed in the territory.
However, he said, that drop doesn’t necessarily reflect a full picture: Government has fewer data to work with following the removal of the last of the Covid-19 public health measures on July 15.
“With the removal of testing requirements and removal of mandated quarantine testing requirements, [we can] no longer provide a true picture of infections within the community,” Mr. Penn said. “As such, presently hospital visits and admissions present a better picture of the severity of Covid-19 in the community.”
These numbers, too, have been dropping, he said.
“Over the past year, there’s been a trend of decreased hospital visits from Covid-19, with peaks corresponding to [heavy tourist months],” he added.
A total of 518 people were seen at the hospital last year for Covid-19, according to the minister. Only 16 of them were seen from October to December, he said.
“There were a total of 27 deaths attributed to Covid-19 for the year 2022,” Mr. Penn added. “For the year 2023, there have been 13 Covid-19-positive people attending the hospital. Only three were admitted.”
Influenza
Mr. Penn reminded the community that the influenza season began in November and peaked in January, but it is still in effect this month.
He added that several respiratory infections occur more frequently during these months, and he encouraged residents to take the same precautions they took during the height of the pandemic.
That includes hand washing, personal hygiene,mask-wearing and social distancing, he said.