George: Ministry concerned about virus spread in households

FAMILY MEMBERS moving from house to house are adding to the Government’s problem of trying to control community spread of the COVID-19 virus.

So from this week, to stem community spread in at least 11 communities, public health officials are set to go into those “hotspots” conducting between 1 500 and 2 000 swabs per day, Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George revealed last night.

The tests will be divided between rapid antigen testing and the more concentrated PCR swabs.

During a press conference held at the Ministry of Health’s Culloden Road, St Michael offices yesterday, George said the latest contact tracing regime which went into specific St Michael and Christ Church communities had already identified and removed 40 Barbadians, repositioning them at quarantine-approved hotels.

The 40 had been identified as primary contacts of new COVID-19 infections discovered last month.

George admitted public health officials were very concerned that within the 11 hotspots there could be scores of asymptomatic but infectious Barbadians. He said the ministry would continue to add resources from public health specialists and other front-line staff, even as the pandemic continued to be an “economic burden” on the country. (BA)

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