NO EVIDENCE OF COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION OF COVID-19 IN SVG

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 21, 2020

Contact: Chief Medical Officer, Chair Health Subcommittee

Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

NO EVIDENCE OF COMMUNITY TRANSMISSION OF

COVID-19 IN SVG

The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment. wishes to advise the public that there is no evidence of community transmission relative to COVID-19, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.On Tuesday, April 21, the Caribbean Public Health Agency CARPHA revealed a new positive COVID-19 case for St. Vincent and the

Grenadines, the first since April 9,2020.

Since then, speculation has been rife, about the origin of this latest case.

According to the Chief Medical Officer Dr Simone Keizer, ongoing preliminary investigations into the new case point to a possible local transmission, since the individual in question has no known travel history. In distinguishing between local and community spread, Dr Keizer Beache notes that according to CARPHA, Community Spread refers to instances where several people in a community test positive for COVID-19 without any known contact with an imported case.

"Local spread" or a "Secondary case" describes a situation where the person was never abroad, but was

exposed to an imported case, so that the source of the infection can be identified.

The CM notes that the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment is cognizant of the need to keep the public aware of every development in respect of COVID-19 in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Dr Keizer Beache is assuring the public that the Ministry, the official source of COVID-19 information in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, remains committed to providing, timely, accurate and relevant information, as we continue to manage this public health challenge

together.