Plans are on the way to set up “pop-up testing sites” within the tri-island state of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique to ensure easy access to COVID-19 testing amidst the continued rise in confirmed positive cases, which has left no parish untouched.
Director of Medical Services (Ag.) Dr. Tyhiesha Donald made the disclosure Tuesday, days after the Ministry of Health confirmed a spike in positive cases and community spread of the deadly virus.
“We have identified the need for mass testing of our population (and) we have now decided that it would be helpful to set up pop up testing sites throughout the tri-island state,” said Dr. Donald, who was at the time responding to a question during the weekly Post-Cabinet media brief in St. George’s.
“During the course of this week, we are looking towards setting up testing sites, at least one (1) in each parish so that we can ensure that persons have access to easy testing,” she told reporters.
Dr. Donald also used the opportunity to urge Grenadians to get vaccinated especially now that there are signs of community spread, noting that it can help to “prevent severe illness and hospitalisation.”
“I know the vaccine is a controversial topic, however, the science speaks for itself presently in our hospital and hospitals throughout the Caribbean…The Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados – it is constant, the majority of persons who are hospitalised are unvaccinated, and right now in Grenada, the same applies,” she said.
“So, we also want to reiterate that apart from taking care of yourselves vaccination also helps to prevent severe illness and hospitalisation,” she added.
At the time of Tuesday’s media brief, there were six (6) persons hospitalised at the St. George’s General hospital for COVID-19, with “16 cumulative hospitalised cases.”
Dr. Donald gave assurance that there are enough supplies at the hospital to manage the COVID-19 patients, and staff at this time.
“Based on our current headcount, we have enough supplies to take care of these patients, and to take care of our staff…we have all the necessary protective equipment to keep them safe from COVID-19, and to date, no healthcare worker who has been taking care of a COVID-19 patient has been tested positive…and for this, we are very happy to report,” Dr. Donald said.
In addition, she disclosed that eleven hospital beds “are currently ready to house COVID-19 patients…and we also have 13 beds as back up in case it extends beyond the 11 beds (and) we have 18 ventilators currently at the hospital, and a further 10 ventilators in storage, a total of 28 ventilators on the island if it is needed.”
Dr. Donald encouraged persons to ensure that they eat healthily and “ensure that they top up on our multivitamins, Vitamin C and Zinc” which she noted has “shown a bit of help in terms of symptoms of COVID-19.”
Dr. Charles who accompanied Dr. Donald at Tuesday’s media brief echoed the need for persons to get vaccinated, and recommended that recovered persons should wait at least “one month after recovery to get vaccinated for protection against the many different variants of the coronavirus.
She said that although “research has not yet shown how long you are protected from COVID after being infected…natural immunity is immunity protection you develop after being exposed to the actual virus and for these reasons, we encourage persons to get vaccinated.”
The Senior Medical Officer explained that there are “two types of tests” being used to confirm COVID-19 in Grenada, the PCR test, which detects the virus, and the highly sensitive rapid antigen test, which was made specifically to detect the proteins produced by the virus.
She revealed that the Ministry commenced using “rapid antigen tests” to test for COVID-19 “since the detection of community spread” with the recent spike from last week.
This method, she said, “is not unique to Grenada and is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and is also being used in other countries throughout the region to detect positive cases in terms of community spread.”
According to Dr. Charles, persons who are symptomatic, and have a positive rapid antigen test, or a positive PCR test, be it symptomatic or a-symptomatic, are counted as a positive COVID-19 case.
She also pointed out that persons who are “symptomatic with a positive rapid antigen test, who has been in contact with a suspected or confirmed case is (also) counted as a case.”
The incubation period for the coronavirus is 14 days, and the average day to detect SARS COV2, which is the virus that causes COVID-19, is between day five (5) and seven (7) after exposure to a confirmed or suspected case.
However, Dr. Charles explained that “where we are at now with community spread, persons confirmed as a case are advised to isolate for 14 days and after the 14 days they are considered as recovered” which is a “protocol similar to other countries (in the region) and internationally in the context of community spread.”
Grenada had recorded 664 positive Covid-19 cases in 16 months and four deaths.