by Linda Straker
Student belongs to household under quarantine, of which one member is from positive workplace cluster
She is 6th person linked to workplace cluster
To date, Grenada has conducted 2,459 Rapid Tests, and 454 PCR tests
Grenada’s latest confirmed laboratory Covid-19 case is an 8-year-old female student whom Health Minister, Nickolas Steele, said is asymptomatic and belongs to a household that is under quarantine because a member of the household was previously diagnosed as positive.
“I announce that Grenada has now recorded its 22nd laboratory-confirmed case of Covid-19. Our latest case is an 8-year-old family member of one of the positive workplace cluster cases,” Steele said as he updated the nation on Friday about the pandemic in Grenada. She is now the 6th person to be linked to the workplace cluster.
“This is our youngest case so far, and, for now, she is considered an asymptomatic carrier—which means she is displaying no symptoms, but she can still transmit the disease. Thankfully, her family has been in quarantine for the last 2 weeks, since their relative was diagnosed,” he said.
Stressing the need for the public to comply with the health protocols aimed at containing Covid-19, Steele said that the contagion which has infected millions worldwide and cause the death of thousands shows that it respects no one.
“It affects the young and the elderly; the black, white and brown. It has no regard for where you live. No one is immune, and we are all affected differently,” he said.
“For this reason, we must maintain vigilance at all times. The stakes are just too high, too costly and too deadly. Our health care professionals continue to spare no effort in ensuring that every case is ultimately medically cleared of this deadly disease and so far, their efforts have proved successful,” he added.
Before Friday’s announcement the last time a person was announced as positive was on 1 May and it was a 21-year-old male who is a staff member of the workplace which government shut down. The company re-opened earlier this week after being granted permission to resume business under strict health protocol guidelines.
To date, the health minister said, Grenada has conducted 2,459 Rapid Tests and 454 PCR tests. “We have had a total of 22 confirmed cases of Covid-19 on mainland Grenada. We are pleased to note that 14 of those have already recovered. Seven are still active, but stable,” he told citizens, pointing out that Grenada is well ahead, per capita, in terms of testing, which gives us a solid indication of our Covid-19 status, as a nation.
“We believe that we have a solid virus tracking strategy, which we have improved on, since our first case. This continuous and aggressive contact tracing conducted by our health officials has made a significant difference in this fight.”
The health minister said that Grenada is at a critical juncture and there is no opportunity for anyone to drop their guard because the contagion will be continuing to affect people for years.
“It is easy to drop our guards because, on the surface, it appears that much is back to normal. But make no mistake, nothing will be normal for months, if not years to come; and we definitely cannot afford to be complacent and lacklustre in our engagements,” he said.
Grenada’s primary focus continues to be public health and safety, but, as a government, Steele said that policy and decision-makers are also trying to balance economic considerations. More businesses are open during easement hours and more people are out daily. The beaches are accessible once again, during the morning hours, and outdoor exercise is now commonplace.
“We need to learn how to adjust to, and sustain, this new way of life, if we want to stay alive. Physical distancing must be our watchword. We must also wear our masks when out in public, and practice proper hygiene. Whether we are at work or exercise, or shopping, we need to ensure that at all times, we remain vigilant,” Steele advised.
Explaining to citizens that he is cognisant of how difficult these restrictions can be, Steele said that he is even more aware of how necessary they are in the fight to save lives.
“We have come a very long way, but the battle is far from over. In fact, we have been cautioned by the experts that this is likely just the beginning. I am immensely proud of our health care workers, who, through their sheer vigilance, diligence and dedication, have gotten us to this point, without any Covid casualties,” he said.
“This pandemic is unprecedented and fluid, and there is no blueprint, but, as a government, we are working tirelessly for this entire nation,” he said, expressing gratefulness to the Grenadian public for their collective efforts in observing the safety measures; thus helping to contain this deadly disease.
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