COVID-19 in Trinidad & Tobago (Local Updates & Discussions Only)

[drchaos]

Six more Omicron cases confirmed

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prediction: omicron to be the dominant strain by next week

and it not going to replace Delta. It going to be added on top of Delta. lol

Yup had a relative on that CAL flight stuck in Puerto Rico. She started being symptomatic 3 days after and now their whole extended family/friends have omicron.
Spreading like a mofo.

Everyone mild tho .. both the vaccinated and unvaccinated.

Free booster shot I guess without having to be jabbed/stabbed.

[Kenjo]

U.S. health authorities on Monday shortened the recommended time for isolation for asymptomatic Americans with COVID-19 to five days from the previous guidance of 10 days.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said the people who test positive after quarantining should follow five days of wearing a mask when around others.
Omicron accounts for 73% of U.S. coronavirus infections, the federal CDC had said last week.
Breakthrough infections are rising among the fully vaccinated population, including those who have had a third booster shot. However, Omicron appears to be causing milder symptoms in those people, some of whom have no symptoms at all.
Reducing the CDC's 10-day quarantine recommendation would help asymptomatic people return to work or school, with proper precautions, White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci had told CNN last week.
The CDC on Monday also gave guidance for people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose or more than two months after the Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) vaccine and not yet boosted. It recommended quarantine for them for five days followed by strict mask use for an additional six days.
Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure should wear a mask for 10 days, the CDC said.

[hover11]

U.S. health authorities on Monday shortened the recommended time for isolation for asymptomatic Americans with COVID-19 to five days from the previous guidance of 10 days.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said the people who test positive after quarantining should follow five days of wearing a mask when around others.
Omicron accounts for 73% of U.S. coronavirus infections, the federal CDC had said last week.
Breakthrough infections are rising among the fully vaccinated population, including those who have had a third booster shot. However, Omicron appears to be causing milder symptoms in those people, some of whom have no symptoms at all.
Reducing the CDC's 10-day quarantine recommendation would help asymptomatic people return to work or school, with proper precautions, White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci had told CNN last week.
The CDC on Monday also gave guidance for people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose or more than two months after the Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) vaccine and not yet boosted. It recommended quarantine for them for five days followed by strict mask use for an additional six days.
Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure should wear a mask for 10 days, the CDC said.

Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure should wear a mask for 10 days, the CDC said.


Trying to understand this part....so when you are boosted you are incapable of spreading covid now?

[Kenjo]

U.S. health authorities on Monday shortened the recommended time for isolation for asymptomatic Americans with COVID-19 to five days from the previous guidance of 10 days.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said the people who test positive after quarantining should follow five days of wearing a mask when around others.
Omicron accounts for 73% of U.S. coronavirus infections, the federal CDC had said last week.
Breakthrough infections are rising among the fully vaccinated population, including those who have had a third booster shot. However, Omicron appears to be causing milder symptoms in those people, some of whom have no symptoms at all.
Reducing the CDC's 10-day quarantine recommendation would help asymptomatic people return to work or school, with proper precautions, White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci had told CNN last week.
The CDC on Monday also gave guidance for people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose or more than two months after the Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) vaccine and not yet boosted. It recommended quarantine for them for five days followed by strict mask use for an additional six days.
Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure should wear a mask for 10 days, the CDC said.

Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure should wear a mask for 10 days, the CDC said.


Trying to understand this part....so when you are boosted you are incapable of spreading covid now?

An exposure versus having symptoms .

[redmanjp]

U.S. health authorities on Monday shortened the recommended time for isolation for asymptomatic Americans with COVID-19 to five days from the previous guidance of 10 days.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said the people who test positive after quarantining should follow five days of wearing a mask when around others.
Omicron accounts for 73% of U.S. coronavirus infections, the federal CDC had said last week.
Breakthrough infections are rising among the fully vaccinated population, including those who have had a third booster shot. However, Omicron appears to be causing milder symptoms in those people, some of whom have no symptoms at all.
Reducing the CDC's 10-day quarantine recommendation would help asymptomatic people return to work or school, with proper precautions, White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci had told CNN last week.
The CDC on Monday also gave guidance for people who are unvaccinated or are more than six months out from their second mRNA dose or more than two months after the Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) vaccine and not yet boosted. It recommended quarantine for them for five days followed by strict mask use for an additional six days.
Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure should wear a mask for 10 days, the CDC said.

Individuals who have received their booster shot do not need to quarantine following an exposure should wear a mask for 10 days, the CDC said.


Trying to understand this part....so when you are boosted you are incapable of spreading covid now?

not impossible but low risk. that as well as the fact that omicron less severe, most ppl in the US vaxxed and many got their booster so its not like a year ago where u would expect plenty cases if u did that then.
oh and they have fda authorized treatments, millions of at home tests, etc.

[pugboy]

the assumption is that an infected vaxxed asymptomatic person likely to be sick for less and with less viral load

yes, vaxxed getting better quarantine conditions than unvaxxed
life not fair

[MaxPower]

How many of that 16,000 in “self isolation” participated in the festivities?

[MaxPower]

Our healthcare system is crap and these same nurses contribute to that.

These are are same rude, unhelpful, incompetent and heartless nurses.

I hope foreign employers think twice about hiring these Trini nurses OR have them under meticulous evaluation and monitoring.

If you want the job, then work for it:

I hope they know what they used to get away with in T&T they won’t abroad.

[redmanjp]

the assumption is that an infected vaxxed asymptomatic person likely to be sick for less and with less viral load

yes, vaxxed getting better quarantine conditions than unvaxxed
life not fair

i didnt see where they said it was only for vaxxed. but another reason is with omicron u show symptoms much sooner than other strains. so as omicron continues to spread a the coming weeks should T&T also reduce our 14 days quarantine period- at least to 7-10 days.

[KM_2NR]

Anyone feel omicron more significant locally than they letting on.

[Kenjo]

Anyone feel omicron more significant locally than they letting on.

What’s the clinical significance of that?

[Dohplaydat]

Anyone feel omicron more significant locally than they letting on.

Well it's being seeded all over right now, but the real community spread will take place over the next couple weeks. It could peak mid to late January.

The somewhat good news is that it does seem to be less mild than Delta which would mean less deaths in those infected.

Now we may not actually see a decrease in deaths, because lots more people are going to be infected.

But I do think by mid February we'll be in a relatively stable position with comparatively low deaths.

Shortly after should mark the end of covid health regulations for good as Covid becomes and r
Endemic (not disappearing, but our immune system has built up some defenses for it).

[matr1x]

IMG_8546.JPG

Our healthcare system is crap and these same nurses contribute to that.

These are are same rude, unhelpful, incompetent and heartless nurses.

I hope foreign employers think twice about hiring these Trini nurses OR have them under meticulous evaluation and monitoring.

If you want the job, then work for it:

I hope they know what they used to get away with in T&T they won’t abroad.

Sound like you salty. Ent you hate trinis. I sure you piss them off

[MaxPower]

IMG_8546.JPG

Our healthcare system is crap and these same nurses contribute to that.

These are are same rude, unhelpful, incompetent and heartless nurses.

I hope foreign employers think twice about hiring these Trini nurses OR have them under meticulous evaluation and monitoring.

If you want the job, then work for it:

I hope they know what they used to get away with in T&T they won’t abroad.

Sound like you salty. Ent you hate trinis. I sure you piss them off

I won’t say hate Slim, more like disappointed. I don’t wish death and pain on them as you do to others especially towards our women.

So yes i am salty because they need to do better but the easiest thing for them is to complain and leave.

We need foreign assistance.

[widdyphuck]

So trinis decided to ram out everywhere for boxing day sale ignoring the fact that we in a pandemic.

So you trying to save $200 in a sale but paying $800 for a PCR test when you get COVID-19?

Make it make sense..

[sMASH]

The people have spoken and acted, take allyuh pandemic and fear mongering and shove it.

Any insistence on mandatory vaxes gonna get pushed back hard.

Who want to Vax, vaxup, Vax every month.
Leave the rest
Vax nothing!

[sMASH]

This free up, knowing trinis, was a last ditch effort to induce spread.
To spike numbers and use to justify mandatory Vax.


Only spanner on the works is omicron gonna Make mortality rate dive down. Cases high but death rate low.
Another common cold.

[redmanjp]

This free up, knowing trinis, was a last ditch effort to induce spread.
To spike numbers and use to justify mandatory Vax.


Only spanner on the works is omicron gonna Make mortality rate dive down. Cases high but death rate low.
Another common cold.

a smaller % of cases are severe. not all cases mild- but it extremely contagious so its a small % of a much larger number which could initially drive up deaths. remember its not just omicron- its omicron on top of delta. omicron doh care if u had a previous infection u still getting infected.

https://guardian.co.tt/news/omicron-less-severe-but-still-dangerous-6.2.1432722.6299044758

Omicron: Less severe, but still dangerous

By DR AMIR KHAN | AL JAZEERA

 
■  Even if Omicron is milder than Delta, high transmissibility means three times more cases, hence more hospitalisations and deaths

■  If the public hold onto this ‘milder’ narrative, there is a risk that some people may become complacent … This will then result in further cases and eventually an increase in hospitalisations and deaths

 

(AL JAZEERA) — Globally, Omicron is becoming the most frustrating good news/bad news story of the moment. As we learn more about the coronavirus variant, the information and the risk it poses keeps changing. That is to be expected with any novel disease of course, but it is enough to put anyone’s head in a spin.

First, the good news… An Imperial College London study has backed up what South African clinicians have been saying since they broke the news in November, that there is much less likelihood of being hospitalised with an Omicron infection than from Delta.

The study looked at 325,000 people who tested positive for COVID-19 via a PCR test in England between December 1 and 14—56,000 cases of Omicron and 269,000 cases of Delta. It found that the risk of needing any hospital treatment was down by 20-25 percent with Omicron compared with Delta, but the need for an overnight hospital stay was down by 40-45 percent. For those included in the study who had not had the vaccine or previous infection, the risk of hospitalisation was about 11 percent lower for Omicron versus Delta.

The study showed that two doses of the vaccine were not enough to provide any serious level of protection and that boosters are the safest and best way to protect against serious illness from Omicron and Delta. It also found that having had a previous COVID-19 infection reduced the risk of hospitalisation from Omicron by about half. Still, I would exercise caution when relying on natural immunity to protect against COVID-19 as this involves getting infected with a highly unpredictable virus that risks not only serious illness and death but also Long COVID; it is much safer to opt for the vaccines.

Professor Neil Ferguson, who led the study, said it was good news but still warned about the sheer number of infections from Omicron leading to more hospital admissions in the long run.

Another study from South Africa also suggested Omicron results in fewer hospitalisations. The study led by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), followed more than 160,000 people who tested positive for COVID-19 between October 1 and December 6, and found that those infected with Omicron were 80 percent less likely to end up in hospital when compared with other variants. The authors of this study, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, have said it is difficult to know how much this is due to Omicron being more “mild” or how much is due to immunity levels in the South African population from previous infections and vaccinations.

Meanwhile, an Edinburgh study used national surveillance data to compare Omicron and Delta infections from November 23—when Omicron was first detected—to December 19. The study only involved a small number of cases, and has yet to be peer-reviewed, but found a 65 percent lower risk of hospital admission when compared with Delta. Jim McMenamin, the national COVID-19 incident director at Public Health Scotland, described the findings as a “qualified good news story”.

Good news this may all be, but it is probably not yet time to rest on our laurels.

Which brings us to the bad news… Omicron cases have been rising across the world, far faster than initially thought. The United States and the United Kingdom are reporting record daily cases, with cities like London and New York worst affected.

Even accounting for 40-50 percent less severity and hospital admissions, if there are three times more cases, that will result in more hospitalisations and deaths than what we saw with Delta.

But it is not just about hospitalisations and deaths. When people test positive for COVID-19 they must then isolate. With Omicron being so transmissible, numbers of positive cases are rising steeply, resulting in more and more people being off work. This will inevitably start to affect front line services: transport, the police force, fire services and healthcare.

When this starts to happen, these vital services become unviable, and cancellations start to happen. Perhaps we can tolerate trains being cancelled—it is an inconvenience but not life-threatening—but when hospital procedures have to be cancelled due to a lack of staff, then lives begin to be put at risk. Many healthcare systems around the world are just beginning to ease the backlog of procedures caused by the initial phases of the pandemic when medics were mostly focused on COVID-19 patients. Now we hear about people having to wait hours for an ambulance due to crew shortages, cancer treatments risking further delays, and surgical operations risking cancellation yet again. Omicron may be milder, but it poses an equally lethal threat to healthcare systems as any previous variants before it.

The other danger is if the public holds onto this “milder” narrative, there is a risk that some people may become complacent about regular lateral flow testing, mask-wearing and ventilating indoor spaces. It may even lead to fewer people taking up the booster vaccines. This will then result in further cases and eventually an increase in hospitalisations and deaths.

Governments across the world have reacted differently to the emergence and spread of Omicron. Countries like the Netherlands have adopted a firm lockdown approach whereas the US and UK have very lax measures in place. History has shown us the quicker we act the better the outcome when it comes to putting restrictions in place. Relying on the “milder” narrative may well come back to haunt some of our world leaders who most likely have their eyes closed and their fingers crossed, hoping that the surge in cases will not translate into hospital admissions.

[adnj]

The omicron variant symptoms you could face based on your COVID vaccine status

Dr. Craig Spencer, an emergency room doctor in New York, recently shared some anecdotal information about what’s been seen in the emergency room when it comes to COVID-19. Here’s what he found:

Every patient who got a third booster COVID-19 vaccine shot had mild symptoms. This included sore throat, fatigue and muscle pain.

Patients who had two doses of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines had mild symptoms but more than those who had three doses. He said there was more fatigue, more coughing and more miserable symptoms overall.

Those who had one dose of Johnson & Johnson were worse, feeling horrible with a fever for a few days. Tiredness, weakness, shortness of breath and cough were also common COVID-19 symptoms for this group.

Every patient that needed to be admitted was unvaccinated. The unvaccinated had “profound shortness of breath” and their “oxygen dropped when they walked,” he said. The unvaccinated needed “oxygen to breathe regularly,” he added.

https://www.deseret.com/coronavirus/202 ... id-vaccine

[Dohplaydat]

Saw a video on whatsapp from Couva where a guy is filming a body being taken away. According to him she was good last night and he appears to be in shock over her death.

[K74T]

[De Dragon]

The omicron variant symptoms you could face based on your COVID vaccine status

Dr. Craig Spencer, an emergency room doctor in New York, recently shared some anecdotal information about what’s been seen in the emergency room when it comes to COVID-19. Here’s what he found:

Every patient who got a third booster COVID-19 vaccine shot had mild symptoms. This included sore throat, fatigue and muscle pain.

Patients who had two doses of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines had mild symptoms but more than those who had three doses. He said there was more fatigue, more coughing and more miserable symptoms overall.

Those who had one dose of Johnson & Johnson were worse, feeling horrible with a fever for a few days. Tiredness, weakness, shortness of breath and cough were also common COVID-19 symptoms for this group.

Every patient that needed to be admitted was unvaccinated. The unvaccinated had “profound shortness of breath” and their “oxygen dropped when they walked,” he said. The unvaccinated needed “oxygen to breathe regularly,” he added.

https://www.deseret.com/coronavirus/202 ... id-vaccine

I really don't know how this isn't making sense to the anti vax crew.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

[adnj]

Early COVID hotspots Brazil (gamma, delta, omicron) and UK (alpha, delta, omicron) have nearly reduced deaths and increased vaccinations to match Canada.

Trinidad currently remains more than ten times more deadly.

[Dizzy28]

Add Jamaica to that and any point in trying to link vaccines to deaths goes out the window

[timelapse]

The people have spoken and acted, take allyuh pandemic and fear mongering and shove it.

Any insistence on mandatory vaxes gonna get pushed back hard.

Who want to Vax, vaxup, Vax every month.
Leave the rest
Vax nothing!

More antivaxers today=Less antivaxers tomorrow.
They could take their lives and shove it also.

I now have 4 family members that are covid positive.2 in hospital are unvaxed for Jesus.
1 in hospital was vaxed with sino, symptoms greatly reduced in a couple of days and has comorbidities, should be home soon.
1 vaxed with sino , but showing mild symptoms.


But vaccines don't work as you say

[De Dragon]

The people have spoken and acted, take allyuh pandemic and fear mongering and shove it.

Any insistence on mandatory vaxes gonna get pushed back hard.

Who want to Vax, vaxup, Vax every month.
Leave the rest
Vax nothing!

More antivaxers today=Less antivaxers tomorrow.
They could take their lives and shove it also.

I now have 4 family members that are covid positive.2 in hospital are unvaxed for Jesus.
1 in hospital was vaxed with sino, symptoms greatly reduced in a couple of days and has comorbidities, should be home soon.
1 vaxed with sino , but showing mild symptoms.


But vaccines don't work as you say

I suspect many of them know differently, but too ashamed or dotish to admit it.

[adnj]

Add Jamaica to that and any point in trying to link vaccines to deaths goes out the window

No.

Jamaica has a lower vaccinated population.

Jamaica has never had a high prevelance of recorded COVID-related deaths.

Jamaica has never been deemed a global hot-spot.

[Dizzy28]

Your'e so far down the hole you didn't realize you just made the point anyhows.

Add Jamaica to that and any point in trying to link vaccines to deaths goes out the window

No.

Jamaica has a lower vaccinated population.

Jamaica has never had a high prevelance of recorded COVID-related deaths.

Jamaica has never been deemed a hot-spot.

[adnj]

Your'e so far down the hole you didn't realize you just made the point anyhows.

Add Jamaica to that and any point in trying to link vaccines to deaths goes out the window

No.

Jamaica has a lower vaccinated population.

Jamaica has never had a high prevelance of recorded COVID-related deaths.

Jamaica has never been deemed a hot-spot.

Honey, you just don't see the point that was made in the first place.