General Manager of the state-owned National Water & Sewerage Authority (NAWASA), Christopher Husbands has confirmed reports that one staffer at its branch at Dusty Highway in the south of the island has tested positive for Covid-19 and that ten other employees have been sent into isolation for testing of the virus tomorrow.
Speaking to THE NEW TODAY on Tuesday, Husbands said that out of an abundance of caution, the workers who were known to be in and around the positive case “have been isolated and will be tested”.
“I ain’t making no bones with it – it is what it is,” he remarked.
Husbands stated that none of the ten persons to be tested are currently exhibiting any Covid-19 symptoms.
“Nobody has any symptoms up to today,” he said.
According to Husbands, the Nawasa employee who tested positive for the virus “was picked up because he went for medical attention” as he was not feeling well.
He disclosed that the company had its first case of Covid-19 in the St. Andrew area last week and that the affected worker should be cleared of the virus by tomorrow.
He said the employee did not have any symptoms but was tested for the virus as he had been in close contact with a relative who had tested positive for Covid.
The NAWASA boss assured the public that the two cases at the utility have not had any impact on its operations and that the current situation has not compromised in any way the water supply provided to the public.
He described the Dusty Highway as a section of the company that focuses only on repair work and has nothing to do with the water supply or even Customer Service.
“These are not the guys that are producing the water – these are the guys that generally doing the repairs,” he said.
Husbands cautioned that if there are increased numbers of Covid-19 cases at the establishment then it can result in delays in service especially with some of the repairs to be undertaken.
“The reality is that if it gets more acute then there maybe delays in the repairs and stuff like that. We hope it doesn’t come to that – we’re trying to take steps to avoid it but as with everything else people have been contaminated and are out and about,” he said.
However, Husbands stated that NAWASA will be able to utilise other crews to carry out the functions of those employees stationed at Dusty Highway.
Grenada is currently experiencing a spike in Covid-19 cases with the total standing at 461 up to last evening since the virus was first detected on the island in March 2020.
A government release quoted Senior Medical Officer, Dr. Myanna Charles as saying Tuesday that the positivity rate for Covid-19 in Grenada has increased from 3.2% to 11%, a change she cites as dire.
In the release, the medical doctor said: “The positivity rate refers to the number of cases that are confirmed positive in the total number of tests conducted”.
Explaining the significance of positivity rate, Dr. Charles said, “A few days ago, health officials had to conduct about 33 tests before they got a positive case, today, they are only conducting about 10 tests before they see a positive case.”
Dr. Charles said, “The situation is very, very serious and we need to take heed and remember the core public preventative measures which include wearing the masks properly over your nose and mouth, social distancing, sanitising and avoiding crowded spaces. More than ever we need the general public to take heed and practice those measures.”
On Monday, the Ministry of Health reported 104 new cases, confirmed from the 910 tests conducted. Results for tests done on Tuesday are still being compiled and analysed and any new cases will be confirmed through the daily COVID-19 dashboard.
As of 7:00 p.m. on Monday, the number of active cases stood at 267, with the majority of them among Grenadians and attributed to community spread.
Positive cases have been recorded in all parishes. Statistics provided by the Ministry of Health reveal that St. George’s has the highest rate of COVID-19 positive cases at 45%.
St. John/St. Mark combined have recorded 31%, St. Andrew 17%, St. David 6% and St. Patrick, 1%. The cases in Carriacou have recovered.
A five-month old baby is now included among the country’s positive cases and health officials have indicated a rising number of children contracting the virus. The oldest positive case is 97 years old and that individual is currently hospitalised.
Females account for 51% of the active cases in Grenada and 83% of the persons who have tested positive, are not vaccinated.
To date, 24,977 persons have received their first dose, while 18,824 are fully vaccinated.
Since Pfizer was introduced as part of the Ministry’s COVID-19 vaccination programme, 2,290 have opted for this vaccine and received their first dose.
A breakdown of the vaccination data shows that the majority of doses have been administered in St. George, with that figure currently at 31,904.
St. Andrew is next with 3,768, St. Patrick with 2,178, St. John and St. Mark with a combined total of 1,997 and St. David with 1,589.
Collectively, 2,237 doses have been administered to persons in Carriacou and Petite Martinique”.