The Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs received notification from the Caribbean Public Health Agency CARPHA of 19 new cases of the Delta Variant. All of the cases are nationals, 50% of them from the southeastern zone of the island. 11 of them are female, 8 are male and the ages range from 1 to 59 years. A total of 54 cases of the Alpha Variant and 51 cases of the Delta Variant have been diagnosed in the country thus far.
According to the Department of Health, “there is a very high risk of the new variant Omicron being imported into the Caribbean region given its detection in a wide range of countries. At this point, countries are advised to continue strengthening their national protocols that are already in place.”
The Ministry of Health continues to send samples to CARPHA monthly as part of the surveillance system to detect the existence of Variants in the country. CARPHA, the Ministry of Health confirmed, has the capacity to detect the Omicron Variant. “To date, St. Lucia has not detected any Omicron Variants cases in the country.”
“Based on the information on Variants, we know that they can cause severe disease or, in particular to the most vulnerable. Our first line of defense must be prevention followed by control and reduced transmission measures.” C.M.O Dr. Sharon Belmar-George asserted.
“The effectiveness of the available vaccines suggests that the current vaccines remain effective against severe disease and death. In an effort to reduce the impact of this new variant and COVID-19 in general specific interventions are necessary. These include prevention and control measures, public health and social measures. Vaccination and booster doses for those advised remains our most important measure at this point in reducing the health implications of this new variant.”