There will be no changes to existing public health regulations, as Trinidad and Tobago had its first confirmed case of the UK’s Covid-19 variant – B117.
Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said yesterday that the ministry would have no “automatic” reaction and would base its decisions on epidemiological evidence. The discovery of the variant in a repatriated UK citizen is also unlikely to affect school reopening plans, Deyalsingh said.
Speaking during yesterday’s virtual press conference, the medical director, Dr. Roshan Parasram, said there was no exposure of the patient to the general population, as all protocols were followed. He explained that the patient had traveled from the UK on January 6 and had produced a negative Covid-19 test before the trip. He said the patient was quarantined on arrival, according to current requirements, and a subsequent smear determined that the patient was Covid-19 positive. The sample was sent to the University of the West Indies (UWI) for genomic sequencing, where it was determined that the patient had the UK virus variant.
Parasram said there were 49 people on the flight from the UK to Trinidad and they were all quarantined and released after the production of negative swabs.
Epidemiologist Avery Hinds said the UK variant, while producing the same symptoms, spread more easily and could be up to 70% more transmissible.
“So this is a public health issue,” he said. However, Hinds said there is no evidence that the variant is more serious or deadlier than the original virus and does not affect the accuracy of antigen and PCR tests. He added that there is also no evidence that the Covid-19 vaccine is not effective against the new variant.
Deyalsingh said that, in light of the information so far, there is no need to implement any other restrictions.
“We are reviewing how we reviewed the epidemiological evidence, and we will do that now that we have this isolated case isolated,” he said. “It is too early to have instinctive panic reactions.”
This includes any decisions to delay the reopening of schools. The Ministry of Health met with education officials on Thursday to discuss plans for the partial reopening of schools, originally scheduled for February 8.
Deyalsingh said he spoke with the Minister of Education, Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, and recommended that no automatic decision be taken.
The Ministry of Education is expected to announce guidelines for the reopening of schools next week.