The Ministry of Health has advised that today, 15th August, 2021, Trinidad and Tobago confirms a third case of the COVID-19 Delta Variant of Concern.
The patient is a recently returned national who travelled to Trinidad from Turks and Caicos (transiting through Florida).
As per existing quarantine protocols, the national provided a negative PCR test (which was taken 72-hours prior to arrival).
The national was immediately placed into State-supervised quarantine, as per the protocol for unvaccinated adults. As a result of the positive COVID-19 results from their 7th day swab, the person was subsequently transferred and isolated in a state step-down facility.
The presence of the Delta variant was confirmed via gene sequencing at the laboratory of the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies.
The Ministry reminds the population that, as at the 16 July, 2021, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago updated its quarantine protocols for persons entering the country. These protocols state that all returning adults, who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, should spend fourteen (14) days in a State-supervised quarantine facility. These entry protocols will continue to be implemented.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there have been confirmed cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in 142 countries. Research has suggested that the Delta variant is more easily spread from person to person as compared to previous variants (estimated to be 2 to 4 times more transmissible than the original Wuhan lineage of the virus). Additionally, evidence indicates that individuals who have contracted this variant may be prone to an increased risk of severe illness and hospitalization. This variant may also lead to an increase in cases of COVID-19 in younger age groups and in those who have been previously infected
