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

[hydroep]

I know in Monday's press conference Sh!tkickers was talking about providing more food cards and thing but ah wonder how something like this go wuk down here? Then again by the time he and the rest of his sh!tlickers done with the HSF it eh go have nothing left fuh we...

Coronavirus: US pushes direct payment plan as part of $1tn stimulus

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says he supports sending money directly to Americans as part of a $1tn (£830bn) stimulus aimed at averting an economic crisis caused by the coronavirus.

"We're looking at sending cheques to Americans immediately," he said.

The $250bn (£207bn) in cheques are part of a huge aid package which the White House is discussing with Congress.

It follows widespread school and shop closures as the number of coronavirus cases in the US approached 6,000.

The US has been debating how to provide relief as activity grinds to a halt in response to curfews and other measures intended to slow the spread of the virus.

Details such as the size of the cheques, and who would qualify for them, are still under discussion...

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51932403

[shake d livin wake d dead]

The cover up of this thing is so huge eh...From the mouths of the medical personnel involed" there will be in spike in cases in the coming weeks". There are several cases already positive and MOH would only update every day or every other day.

A S.O.E is very possible at this point in time

[88sins]

If you are infected, but dont show symptoms, you are still infected & should test positive, not so?

Just some info to some of the concerns above.
The tests take about 4 hours from sample reception to completion, that info must then be passed to MOH for dissemination and contact tracing etc.
Suspected cases not showing any symptoms cannot be tested as they will show a false negative and have a false sense of confidence that they are not infected, which can further spreads the virus. Once suspected or identified as having contact with a confirmed infected, the medical practitioner recommends isolation to observe if symptoms start showing. Only if they do then you can be tested as the test will then produce a confirmed result.

Disclaimer: i'm not a spokesperson for any organization, just relaying some info.

Based on the above I guess that symptoms show when the virus reaches some critical mass in the body.Under which the person remains asymptomatic.
The test can only detect the virus above a certain critical mass. Below which you will test negative.

So logically one can have the virus,not show symptoms and still test negative.

It's about the viral load in blood serum. If you don't have a high viral load, when you get tested it may be missed by the testing process.

I watched an interview of a virologist recently, in one instance 24 ppl were exposed to infected patients and subsequently tested. 8 tested positive, 4 were symptomatic and 4 were asymptomatic. Now here's the kicker.
The patients that tested positive that had no symptoms had a higher viral load than the patients that had symptoms, as well as higher concentrations of the virus in their throat cultures.
The virologist said it seems a person may not even need to sneeze or cough to transmit the disease, droplets coming from the mouth during normal speech can cause infection as well.

[Gladiator]

answer is no... They only testing those with a travel history. I guess that's why all the cases are "imported"

So random observation. You're sick. Coughing. Fever. Sore throat. No travel history. Haven't been to the airport etc. Can you get tested right now somewhere?

Fact of the matter is, I think, People are walking around with the Covid-19, thinking it's just the flu and that's not the case but they can't get tested. Seeing the problem here?

[Keyser Soze]

If you are infected, but dont show symptoms, you are still infected & should test positive, not so?

Just some info to some of the concerns above.
The tests take about 4 hours from sample reception to completion, that info must then be passed to MOH for dissemination and contact tracing etc.
Suspected cases not showing any symptoms cannot be tested as they will show a false negative and have a false sense of confidence that they are not infected, which can further spreads the virus. Once suspected or identified as having contact with a confirmed infected, the medical practitioner recommends isolation to observe if symptoms start showing. Only if they do then you can be tested as the test will then produce a confirmed result.

Disclaimer: i'm not a spokesperson for any organization, just relaying some info.

Based on the above I guess that symptoms show when the virus reaches some critical mass in the body.Under which the person remains asymptomatic.
The test can only detect the virus above a certain critical mass. Below which you will test negative.

So logically one can have the virus,not show symptoms and still test negative.

correct.

[Redman]

The cover up of this thing is so huge eh...From the mouths of the medical personnel involed" there will be in spike in cases in the coming weeks". There are several cases already positive and MOH would only update every day or every other day.

A S.O.E is very possible at this point in time

I think everywhere sees a spike....it’s after the initial spike that determines how we fair.
How serious we take the protocols will determine how fast we plateau in terms of new cases.

[sekhar_777]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/14/health/coronavirus-asymptomatic-spread/index.html

(CNN)New studies in several countries and a large coronavirus outbreak in Massachusetts bring into question reassuring assertions by US officials about the way the novel virus spreads.

[death365]

According to "behind the badge" on synergy TV.... The 25 and over thing is a suggestion by the prime minister and not law....


So I guess the opening bars thing too

[rspann]

True. Suggestions , not law.

[K74T]

FYI these were the two cases last night and not the post that was circulating on socia media yesterday.

2 Trini women catch COVID-19 on ill-fated cruise

... return home, placed in immediate quarantine


A GMRTT ambulance leaves the Piarco International Airport on Wednesday with the two Trinidadian women who contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) aboard a cruise ship in Martinique. The women were only discovered to be positive after being tested in countires where they were intransit on their trip home. The women were taken to immediate quarantine at the Caura Hospital on arrival home.

Abraham Diaz

The two latest novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases announced by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday night were two Trinidadian women who were aboard the Costa Favolosa cruise ship that was anchored off Martinique for several days.

The ship was isolated off Martinique after passengers on board were suspected of contracting the virus and French authorities there initially refused the vessel the chance to dock so passengers could get off.

Sources at the Piarco International Airport told Guardian Media that the women returned home aboard Caribbean Airlines flight BW449 from Bridgetown, Barbados, around 8.25 pm on Tuesday.

Sources revealed that after getting the all-clear from Martinique authorities to leave the ship, the women were tested on their way back home in both in Guadeloupe and Barbados, where they were in-transit to T&T and the tests done in one of those two countries subsequently confirmed their positive status. However, it is unclear in which country their tests turned up positive.

A source who was present when the flight arrived at Piarco on Tuesday night and was familiar with the situation said: "Their positive results were sent to port health authorities here before they arrived."

Sources said in preparation for the women’s arrival in T&T on Tuesday night, an ambulance was called to the Piarco International Airport to pick them up for transportation to either the Caura Hospital or the Couva Hospital, where they will be quarantined and treated.

The ambulance, which Guardian Media saw accompanied by a van, drove into the airport on the western side through a private road, near the TT Post office, shortly after midnight. The ambulance left the airport's compound about half an hour later with the van in tow.

The flight crew and other passengers who were aboard the plane were also expected to be screened at the airport and asked to take measures to self-quarantine themselves for a 14-day period.

Guardian Media sent a Whatsapp message to Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh seeking further details about the situation close to 12.40 am Wednesday. Understandably, the minister might have been already in bed and the messages were not read. Another Ministry of Health official was also contacted by phone but they said they could not divulge any information about the two latest cases.

Around 11 pm on Tuesday night, however, the Ministry of Health announced via a media release that two new COVID-19 cases had been detected, bringing the number of confirmed cases in this country to seven. They also indicated that "all positive COVID-19 cases thus far have been imported."

The ministry reminded the public that "personal protective measures are the most effective tools against COVID-19” and that “social distancing is particularly critical at this time given the manner in which the disease is spread."

On Monday during a press conference to address measures taken to combat the spread of the virus, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had said then that some 70 elderly nationals were up the Caribbean on a cruise ship - which had some COVID cases - and they were trying to return.

The Prime Minister said they could not be denied entry as they were citizens.

"They're coming home and when they do, they form part of our responsibility," Rowley had said then.

Minister of National Security Stuart Young in a media release on Tuesday said he and other members of the Government were communicating with some of the nationals aboard the cruise ship, as well as their family and friends

Young said Government was in communication with the French authorities to get accurate information on the status of our nationals on the ship and how those authorities intended to treat this situation and the latest information they had was that arrangements were being made to repatriate the T&T nationals. The release added that government agencies, in particular the Ministry of Health and Ministry of National Security, were prepared to receive the T&T nationals.

http://guardian.co.tt/news/2-trini-women-catch-covid19-on-illfated-cruise-6.2.1081556.782b61d0d2

[MaxPower]

Really hope our Venezuelans are okay in these times.

[MG Man]

yup, some nitwits are saying breathing in air from a sauna will kill viruses

What about if I use eucalyptus oil in the sauna?

only if it's squeezed by an aboriginal shaman from an organically grown koala

[alfa]

Really hope our Venezuelans are okay in these times.

Hope the secure the borders for real this time and lock them out

[screwbash]

not posting a fact, i am asking a question, i heard that ramco is closing from friday so cooking gas will be scare is this for real ?

[hydroep]

not posting a fact, i am asking a question, i heard that ramco is closing from friday so cooking gas will be scare is this for real ?

They just put this out yesterday. Seems like a statement of confidence IMO...

[shake d livin wake d dead]

What next

[maj. tom]

Likely points that the PM had said he will address further:

The decisions made on the lock down of airport and travelling and how it will affect airlines that use the airport.

SEA and schools and the push back of the teaching period next semester.

A definitive and mandatory closure of bars, etc. and social gatherings with emergency laws (because Trinis who doh hear, dey go feel). Maybe a limited SOE to that effect.

Kamla better hush she mc eh.

[sMASH]

i feel i wah get this ting now, while the ICU load is low. most virus dont affect me much, self isolate and power through, will have the icu just as stand by. once the 28 days over, i cant infect nobody and cant get it to carry it neither.
the story of the person getting reinfected seems to be an outlier, as its not repeating. so may be misdiagnosis or very low immuntity or sumting.

i might fall in the 97% that dont see anything significant. willing to take that chance, once the ICU's up and running.

[sMASH]

I know in Monday's press conference Sh!tkickers was talking about providing more food cards and thing but ah wonder how something like this go wuk down here? Then again by the time he and the rest of his sh!tlickers done with the HSF it eh go have nothing left fuh we...

HSF andean, and IMF is only for imburt et al. we hadda fite up and pay courts and WASA on we own, bruh.

[MaxPower]

Really hope our Venezuelans are okay in these times.

Hope the secure the borders for real this time and lock them out

Na bro sorry, you know the T&T govt to secure anything properly?

We cant just lock them out.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

TTUTA rejects Ministry's one-week term extension proposal

This morning’s meeting between the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) to discuss several critical issues affecting teachers and students, ended prematurely after TTUTA rejected a proposal by the ministry for a one-week extension of the school term.

In an interview with Guardian Media, TTUTA President Antonia Tekah-De Freitas said the proposition meant teachers would have to be in schools for an additional week as one way to recoup lost classroom time.

Tekah-De Freitas said it was wrong and unfair to penalize teachers over an issue which has not been created through any fault of theirs.

Indicating TTUTA supported the State’s decision to close all schools until April 20 in the interest of national health, Tekah-De Freitas said, “When the minister began speaking about the postponement of SEA into the new term, possibly into May, that was acceptable to TTUTA.”

She said SEA has been administered during May in years gone by and so, this proposition was also welcomed.

However, it was when Education Minister Anthony Garcia brought up the issue of extending the term, that the meeting took a turn for the worse.

Tekah-De Freitas said, “It did not have anything to do with the students per se, but because the teachers were out.”

“So with teachers being out essentially for five weeks, it appears as if the ministry was not prepared that they should be out for five weeks and they were trying to take back the time they sent us out for.”

The fired-up TTUTA president said, “We did not put ourselves on this leave, we didn’t shut down schools. It appears the ministry was trying to take back that time and therefore, a proposition was put to TTUTA for the term to be extended for one week during which time the teachers would come out. It was not clear whether or not students would be coming out for the week as well.”

Tekah-De Freitas said it was not known when that week would have been as the meeting ended shortly after TTUTA rejected the proposal.

Meanwhile, TTUTA is calling for a postponement of the April 2 SEA exam, and for the deadline dates for the marks to be submitted as it relates to CSEC exams.



http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/ttuta-re ... d09ad87a15

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

23c55027-f5dc-4037-97cc-9cf9a8f6c71d.jpg (26.62 KiB) Viewed 3301 times

[Chimera]

Good time to paint the house and get all the different yard work/ home projects done.

[Ben_spanna]

i feel i wah get this ting now, while the ICU load is low. most virus dont affect me much, self isolate and power through, will have the icu just as stand by. once the 28 days over, i cant infect nobody and cant get it to carry it neither.
the story of the person getting reinfected seems to be an outlier, as its not repeating. so may be misdiagnosis or very low immuntity or sumting.

i might fall in the 97% that dont see anything significant. willing to take that chance, once the ICU's up and running.

And what about the possibility that even when you get it theres no guarantee that you cant get it again!
Especially when its so early on and the fact remains that it will spread.

[sMASH]

i feel i wah get this ting now, while the ICU load is low. most virus dont affect me much, self isolate and power through, will have the icu just as stand by. once the 28 days over, i cant infect nobody and cant get it to carry it neither.
the story of the person getting reinfected seems to be an outlier, as its not repeating. so may be misdiagnosis or very low immuntity or sumting.

i might fall in the 97% that dont see anything significant. willing to take that chance, once the ICU's up and running.

And what about the possibility that even when you get it theres no guarantee that you cant get it again!
Especially when its so early on and the fact remains that it will spread.

not enough of that happening for it to be a significant thing. somethign else might have caused that to occur, or it was a mistake of diagnosis or recording. need more of those occurring for it to be a thing

[aaron17]

TTUTA rejects Ministry's one-week term extension proposal

This morning’s meeting between the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) to discuss several critical issues affecting teachers and students, ended prematurely after TTUTA rejected a proposal by the ministry for a one-week extension of the school term.

In an interview with Guardian Media, TTUTA President Antonia Tekah-De Freitas said the proposition meant teachers would have to be in schools for an additional week as one way to recoup lost classroom time.

Tekah-De Freitas said it was wrong and unfair to penalize teachers over an issue which has not been created through any fault of theirs.

Indicating TTUTA supported the State’s decision to close all schools until April 20 in the interest of national health, Tekah-De Freitas said, “When the minister began speaking about the postponement of SEA into the new term, possibly into May, that was acceptable to TTUTA.”

She said SEA has been administered during May in years gone by and so, this proposition was also welcomed.

However, it was when Education Minister Anthony Garcia brought up the issue of extending the term, that the meeting took a turn for the worse.

Tekah-De Freitas said, “It did not have anything to do with the students per se, but because the teachers were out.”

“So with teachers being out essentially for five weeks, it appears as if the ministry was not prepared that they should be out for five weeks and they were trying to take back the time they sent us out for.”

The fired-up TTUTA president said, “We did not put ourselves on this leave, we didn’t shut down schools. It appears the ministry was trying to take back that time and therefore, a proposition was put to TTUTA for the term to be extended for one week during which time the teachers would come out. It was not clear whether or not students would be coming out for the week as well.”

Tekah-De Freitas said it was not known when that week would have been as the meeting ended shortly after TTUTA rejected the proposal.

Meanwhile, TTUTA is calling for a postponement of the April 2 SEA exam, and for the deadline dates for the marks to be submitted as it relates to CSEC exams.



http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/ttuta-re ... d09ad87a15

No social distancing in that pic.

[88sins]

i feel i wah get this ting now, while the ICU load is low. most virus dont affect me much, self isolate and power through, will have the icu just as stand by. once the 28 days over, i cant infect nobody and cant get it to carry it neither.
the story of the person getting reinfected seems to be an outlier, as its not repeating. so may be misdiagnosis or very low immuntity or sumting.

i might fall in the 97% that dont see anything significant. willing to take that chance, once the ICU's up and running.

idk who tell you what, but there is no evidence to suggest that becoming infected with COVID-19 now & recovering leaves any sort of future immunity from becoming reinfected later on.
Your chances of getting infected immediately after recovery from a first time infection are low, but there's no evidence to suggest or support that you can't ever get it again if there's another wave going around.

[Musical Doc]

Good time to paint the house and get all the different yard work/ home projects done.

Exactly my plan if my employers decide to close for a while.

[nemisis]

Every thing will get more expensive. If you have the time any home projects should be hurried along asap

[MaxPower]

Social distancing emphasizing should have been done along time ago in T&T.