Samples which possibly contain COVID-19-variant still in Suriname

The samples which possibly contain the new variant of COVID-19 still have not been sent to the Netherlands. “Several logistical matters must be taken care of before the samples can be sent to a lab in the Netherlands”, said Health Minister Amar Ramadhin before the start of the meeting of the Council of Ministers on

Wednesday. “Suriname still can’t carry out the genetics research”, said the minister. At the end of December the minister announced that a batch of samples would be sent to the Netherlands and that the results would be in within a week. Suriname is currently still holding talks with Dutch officials regarding assistance in this matter.

Ramadhin explained that the new variant of the novel coronavirus could already be in Suriname especially given the rapid manner in which many people are getting infected. A growing number of family members and coworkers are currently contracting the virus at an alarming rate. The minister expects a huge spike in the number of active COVID19-cases this week. This spike could be the result of the holidays as many people assembled at the same locations to hold celebrations. There are currently about 500 active COVID-19-cases in Suriname.