Coronavirus in the Caribbean

-cases reported in Dominican Republic, St Maarten, St Barthelemy

Health officials have confirmed some cases of the coronavirus (Covid19) in the Caribbean.

Dr Carissa F. Etienne, director of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Regional Office of the World Health Organisation, made the revelation last evening, according to the Barbados Nation..

She was speaking via video-conference during a meeting of some CARICOM Heads of Government, Ministers of Health and officials of key agencies to discuss protocols for addressing Covid19, held at the Lloyd Erskine Sanford Centre.

She said there were two cases of Covid-19 in Brazil, three in Ecuador, three in the Dominican Republic, four in Mexico, two in St Martin, and one in St Barthélemy.

St Maarten’s Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs yesterday morning activated the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in connection with the two confirmed cases of the coronavirus COVID-19 on French Saint Martin.

A release from the Prime Minister’s office said that these persons are currently in isolation at the Hospital on the French side of the island and will remain there for 14-days.

St Maarten is host to a large Guyanese population and there is significant travel between the Dutch/French island and Guyana. The release said that the EOC chaired by the Prime Minister has been activated to continue with the preparedness, response and mitigation measures that need to be taken for the coronavirus COVID-19 and will continue to function on a heightened level of awareness. The release said that there are no cases of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 on Dutch Sint Maarten at this time. The release added that screening processes at ports of entry have been stepped up in cooperation with the airlines which are also following their own screening protocols. “There is no reason to panic; stay calm and take preventative hygiene measures at home, on the job, in school that have been promoted by the Ministry of Public Health for the past several weeks via the Government’s Department of Communication. School boards have been requested to increase hygienic measures at schools and to maintain these at a high level; front line staff of businesses across the business community – customer service reps – as well as all other staff members are also requested to follow preventative measures on a daily basis”, the release said. Meanwhile, Reuters yesterday reported that health authorities in the Dominican Republic said that they had confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country, a tourist visiting from Italy. The patient, a 62-year-old man, was transferred yesterday to an isolation room in a military hospital near the capital and is in stable condition, Health Minister Rafael Sanchez said at a press conference. Another tourist, a 56-year-old man from France, is under observation in the hospital and awaiting test results for the virus.

As coronavirus spreads rapidly around the globe, Dominican authorities yesterday ordered the cancellation of all flights from Milan for 30 days. The measure will affect some 4,000 passengers who had reservations to fly with a low-cost airline from Milan to La Romana, a coastal tourist area, according to statistics from the Ministry of Tourism.

The Dominican government also said on Friday that it will subject all travelers coming from Italy, regardless of nationality, to epidemiological reviews at airports in the Caribbean nation. The Dominican Republic and Haiti share the island of Hispaniola.

PAHO has meanwhile issued several recommendations on the use of face masks in the wake of the global spread of the coronavirus, according to the Jamaica Gleaner. PAHO says using the masks during outbreaks of viral illnesses, such as the coronavirus disease, has only been shown in scientific studies to be effective for protecting healthcare workers and to reduce the risk of sick patients spreading the disease.

Based on that evidence, PAHO has recommended the use of face masks by people who have respiratory symptoms such as coughing, sneezing or difficulty breathing, including when they are seeking medical attention – to protect others around them.

PAHO said people, including family members, who are providing care to individuals with respiratory symptoms, can also use the masks. The regional health body also recommended the use of the face masks by healthcare workers when entering a room with patients or treating an individual with respiratory symptoms, and according to the type of care that will be provided.

But PAHO warned that wearing a face mask alone is not guaranteed to stop infections in any of these circumstances, adding that it should be combined with other personal protective measures such as hand hygiene, keeping distance from people with symptoms, respiratory hygiene or cough etiquette. “No preventive measure is 100 percent effective in preventing infection but, practiced together, they can reduce the chances of spreading infection”, said PAHO Deputy Director Jarbas Barbosa.

PAHO said studies have shown no clear benefit from face mask use for people who are not sick.

It said some research shows that people can become infected from touching a contaminated mask they have been wearing or by removing it incorrectly. During an outbreak, such as COVID-19, PAHO said several measures may help people to reduce their chances of becoming infected. PAHO recommended that people wash hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand rub.