by Dr George Mitchell, Covid-19 Response Coordinator
Today, Tuesday, 28 April 2020 we announce the laboratory confirmation of the 19th case of Covid-19 here on mainland Grenada — with 18 of those cases on island.
We can also announce that 10 of our cases are now recovered, which means that we have 8 active cases. The individual is a male, and he is a workplace colleague of our 15th case and 2 of the other cases confirmed last Saturday.
As per health protocol, all confirmed cases are quarantined, as well as their close contacts. Health officials continue to tirelessly conduct contact tracing, to ascertain the probability of further transmission.
Officials have not yet determined the original point of contact for the workplace cases, but we continue to work, and we continue to test.
We must caution that due to that unknown, we must all be prepared for the probability of a community spread. From our end, we are expanding our teams in preparation for that possibility — since it will necessitate increased testing, contact tracing, building capacity for quarantine, active monitoring and other related activities.
Again, I ask that you help us by doing your part. We will continue to remind of the guidelines for protecting yourself and others, at every turn. We already know that frequent handwashing, overall good hygiene practices, physical distancing of at least 6 feet, and wearing a mask or suitable face covering in public spaces, will go a long way in safeguarding further spread of this disease.
These precautionary measures are most effective when combined. For example, if you are standing close to someone infected with the disease, and they are speaking to you, you have at least a 20% chance of getting sick from that exposure. If you are wearing a mask, then your risk of contraction of the disease will go down to about 4%.
Additionally, by standing at least 6 feet away from that infected person your risk of contracting the virus goes down to 1%. That is why it is important that you exercise these measures on every single occasion, especially now that many of you have returned to your workplaces.
It is quite easy to congregate in your workplaces and drop your guard, forgetting to wear your masks or ensuring that you are 6 feet away from the nearest person. But, dropping their guard is likely what happened in the workplace cases that are now reporting. This disease can rapidly spread in such close environments, so please, practice the safety measures.
That is the only way we can truly curb the spread of Covid-19, and ultimately save lives, and return to daily living.
We continue to ask that if you are, or anyone you know is experiencing symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath, cough, weakness, abdominal pain or diarrhoea, please send us a message, or call us at 538 4787 or 458 4787.
Together, we can save each other.
Government of Grenada
