Once considered a model to follow in handling the pandemic, Saint Lucia today confirmed and eclipsed an unenviable number.
In its daily press release, the Ministry of Health and Wellness confirmed some sixty new cases of COVID-19 from the Ezra Long Laboratory late Wednesday, January 27, 2021. The new cases were from a batch of 258 samples which were tested.
The new cases now bring the total number of cases diagnosed in the country to date to 1029.
Confirmation was also received of the recovery of thirty individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 bringing the total number of active cases in the country to date to 491.
Currently, one of the active cases is in critical care at the Respiratory Hospital and all of the others are stable.
All of the sixty cases are Saint Lucian nationals who range in age from 4 years to 76 years. They are from the Castries, Soufriere, Anse La Raye, Vieux- Fort, Gros-Islet, Dennery, Babonneau, Micoud and Choiseul districts. All of these individuals were seen at community-based respiratory clinics where they were assessed and tested for COVID-19.
As per protocol, they were placed in quarantine by health care practitioners while awaiting their COVID-19 test results. Arrangements have since been made to place these individuals into isolation and the contact tracing team is undertaking investigations to identify the contacts of these confirmed cases.