BVI classified as having ‘sporadic’ level of exposure to COVID-19
Under World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, the Ministry of Health & Social Development has classified the British Virgin Islands as having sporadic cases of COVID-19 transmission.
The WHO defines sporadic cases of transmission as a country that has one or more cases, imported or locally detected.
The classification is the second of four other classes of the virus listed by WHO, with the others being no cases (first), clusters of cases (third) and community transmission (fourth).
Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health Dr Irad Potter told BVI News in a recent interview that the classification is used to make other countries aware of the level of exposure of a virus or disease in a specific country.
“One of the things that happen is that you are obligated by the World Health Organisation and the international health regulations to alert people whenever you have a disease of international concern,” he said.
“So whenever that happens, we tend to publish a classification for countries to follow, so that it’s easier for people to have an understanding based on the classification what is happening.”
BVI doing a good job with preventative measures
Dr Potter said the BVI has done a commendable job in following WHO’s guidance of instituting COVID-19 preventative measures and conducting regular testing, which has resulted in a low seven confirmed cases in the territory.
“We’ve had very good cooperation from the public generally and the government has been very firm and supporting in terms of having the measures of closing the border, having the curfew to help to break the transmission,” he stated.
Thorough testing protocol
In terms of contact tracing and testing, the Chief Medical Officer said the protocols followed by the BVI Health Services Authority are strict and thorough to ensure possible cases don’t go undetected and slip into the general population.
Dr Potter said only quarantining for 14 days does not mean that a person may not have the virus within them at the end of that period, and therefore highlighted the significance of testing.
He said: “We test people as soon as we learn that they are a contact (having been in contact with a known case). But if persons don’t have a sufficient live viral load to be positive on the test then they may test negative. That is why we continue to monitor them and if we have any reason to be suspicious based on monitoring, then we retest.”
“If for any time when we start retesting them and they test positive, then we treat them as if they are positive and we repeat the testing weekly every seven days until they have their first negative test … If they test negative, then we retest them again the following day and if they test negative the next time then, we consider them to be recovered,” Dr Potter further explained
To date, the BVI has tested a total of 132 samples, with 125 returning negative. Of the remaining seven positives, three have recovered, three are currently active and one has died.
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Please tell us if those many at home deaths, were tested for Covid19 and what were the results. My mother died at home and she had to have an autopsy. Why not tell the public the causes of those deaths? What is the motive for keeping this info secret? Am I the only one interested? 6 people die at home in less than 60 days and no cause of death? The police have to investigate at home deaths. The morgue has to take the bodies, the funeral parlor has to prepare the bodies. Covid19 does in fact last in the dead body for some time. How can we have confidence to leave home and shop and work feeling like we are not actually being told the truth about the prevalence of Covid19 in the BVI.
on average there are more than 60 deaths year at home in the BVI within the age groups 40-70 so 6 deaths in 60 days is below average. I would imagine they did test as the contact tracing done in the BVI is stellar and has kept the virus in check.
We need to know the real picture. Tell us the results of those persons that died at home? Also I don’t understand. All those persons that are in quarantine are not tested or our numbers of persons tested would be higher
We have no medical examiner here. Our borders are closed, so the medical examiner from St. Thomas can’t come.
We have a pathologist who does the autopsies right here. Its only in cases of suspected murder that an overseas pathologist is brought and its not from St Thomas
Go down to the registry and by a copy of the Death Certificate for yourself. They are public documents.
China recovered in three months without a vaccine. Now the 1% rich elitepharms wants to make trillions off of the world by feeding them a fake or dedly vaccine.
First of all corona is like a common cold so it’s likely we all could have signs or whatever for corona
When they realize that it was then change to covid 19 which is just another level of experimenting
Now a days no more deaths happening only corona killing foh lol
Anyway brothers and sisters it’s deeper than this virus it’s really a new change to living