12 October 2021

St. Lucia has recorded nine new cases of the Delta variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic even as health authorities report that the daily infection rate for the virus had declined by 68 per cent over the past week.

The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs in a statement said while it continues to manage the fourth wave of the virus, it had received confirmation on Monday from the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) of the new cases of the Delta variant.

“All of the cases are nationals, from across the island. Seven of them are female, two male and the ages range from 25 to 69 years,” it said without indicating how many people here have been infected with the Delta variant.

Overall, the Ministry said from July 25, to present it has noted there have been 6,475 cases at an average of 84 cases per day with 57 per cent of the cases being female.

“At present we have 1,114 active cases in country. The majority of the cases are from Castries, Gros- Islet, Vieux-Fort and Baboneau. There are presently 55 COVID-19 patients admitted to the Respiratory Hospital. Two of them require critical care and nine are severely ill.

“The daily infection rate for the past week was 22.1 per 100,000 per day which is a 68 per cent decrease from the previous week. We note a steady decline in the rate of transmission at this point with a present rate of 1.3,” the statement said.

It said that during that period, there have been 133 COVID-19 deaths, with an average three deaths daily. Males account for 56 per cent of the deaths.

“We note an increase in severe cases, admissions and deaths from the south western zone of the country which also corresponds to the areas of low vaccination uptake. Investigations and specific interventions will be implemented to address this issue.”

The Ministry said that it has taken note of a reduction in the transmission, hospitalization, positivity, prevalence rates and forecasts average resolution of this fourth wave by November, 2021 if there are no major increases in risks for new transmission.

“We continue to note cases diagnosed related to social activities, work places and spread between families. To date from the positive cases diagnosed in country less than two per cent have been fully vaccinated, 98 per cent of the COVID-19 deaths and COVID-19 related deaths at Respiratory Hospital were unvaccinated. The two per cent deaths who were fully vaccinated had other serious underlying health conditions which contributed to their demise.”

The Ministry said that it will continue to urge the public “to work with us and exhibit responsible behaviour to manage this fourth wave.

“Let us all take personal responsibility to keep ourselves and families safe. At present we have available both the Pfizer and Astra Zeneca vaccine free of charge in country at the various wellness centers.

“These vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective in protecting persons from developing COVID-19, its severe forms, complications, hospitalizations and death. Parents are encouraged to vaccinate their children from 12 years and older, let us make the educational environment safer.

“We continue to advise the public to remain vigilant and adhere to the protocols that are put in place to keep us safe. These include regular hand washing, use of face mask in public places, avoiding crowds and persons with respiratory symptoms and keeping frequently touched surfaces clean,” the Ministry said in its statement.