Antigua and Barbuda: Covid-19 Cases - 94 cases; 3 deaths

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nat...241249651.html

...Antigua and Barbuda: After the eastern Caribbean nation recorded its first confirmed COVID-19 case on March 13, the government announced a 30-day ban on all parties, festivals and similar social gatherings. Foreign nationals who have traveled to and from China, Italy, Iran, Japan, Korea and Singapore the past 28 days are not being allowed in. Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda as well as resident diplomats will be allowed entry...

 

[Shiloh]

7 cases: https://stluciatimes.com/saint-lucia-records-4-new-cases-covid-19-total-confirmed-cases-13/

 

[Shiloh]

Antigua and Barbuda confirms 2 additional cases of COVID-19

By Antigua Observer
April 2, 2020

https://www.stlucianewsonline.com/antigua-and-barbuda-confirms-2-additional-cases-of-covid-19/

 

[kiwibird]

Antigua and Barbuda - 15 cases

https://antiguaobserver.com/breaking...navirus-in-ab/

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has just reported six more confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Antigua and Barbuda.

Writing on his personal Facebook page, the PM said the six new cases were from 14 more tests recently carried out. Three of them are said to be imported and the remaining three appear to be from community spread.


“Our community spread seems to be emanating primarily from returning nationals, including those who visited Montserrat for St Patrick’s Day,” he wrote.


“This is to caution our people to continue to respect the protocols of personal hygiene etiquette, social distancing, quarantining and isolation as appropriate,” Browne said.


The new cases take the country’s total confirmed cases to 15.

 

[kiwibird]

https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/...-3-april-2020/

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA



INMATES WITH SIX MONTHS OR LESS TO SERVE COULD BE RELEASED EARLY (antiguaobserver.com) Discussions were underway, Thursday, that could see the release of prisoners with six months or less to serve. Prisoners have complained about the suspension of food deliveries by relatives and their health and safety in confined conditions. The minister responsible for prisons, Stedroy ‘Cutie’ Benjamin, said that this was an ongoing discussion in the region not just in Antigua & Barbuda. A 20% discount on the cost of fuel to fishermen has also been announced to support food security. Two more cases – a woman who had flown in from New York and a female yacht worker -were confirmed on Thursday bringing the total of active cases to nine.

 

[kiwibird]

https://www.loopnewsbarbados.com/con...buda-rise-19-1

UPDATE: COVID-19 cases in Antigua & Barbuda rise to 19, 2 deaths

Prime Minister Gaston Browne is urging the people of Antigua and Barbuda to adhere to the regulations put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

His urgent plea came on the heels of news that a second patient had succumbed to COVID-19, just hours after the first virus-related death was announced.

The first patient, a 47-year-old man, died hours after he was first admitted to the Mount St John’s Medical Centre, on Saturday, April 4.

Chief Medical Officer Rhonda Sealey-Thomas said he was being treated for diabetes, but was also suspected of having COVID-19 because of the way he presented.

Medical Director of Mount St John’s, Albert Duncan said the man arrived at the hospital in critical condition after having a cough and experiencing weakness for two days.

He said: “This young man had quite a few comorbidities which would make management of this COVID virus very, very difficult and also very serious.”​

Just hours after his passing was announced Prime Minister Gaston Browne shared via Facebook that another patient had succumbed to the virus.

To date, more than 50 people in Antigua and Barbuda have been tested for the virus. Three of the 19 confirmed cases are healthcare workers, 12 had travel history.

 

[kiwibird]

https://www.facebook.com/pg/OPMAntiguaBarbuda/posts/

 

[Shiloh]

3rd death: https://antiguaobserver.com/breaking-news-antigua-and-barbuda-records-third-covid-19-death/

 

[kiwibird]

https://antiguaobserver.com/

Antigua and Barbuda records two new cases of Covid-19; total confirmed now at 23

The following is a press release from the Ministry of Health Wellness and the Environment dated Sunday 12 April 2020:

The most recent results received by the Ministry of Health Wellness and the Environment from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) revealed two
new laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19. This brings the total number of persons with laboratory confirmation of the disease in Antigua and Barbuda to 23.

The other twelve samples, sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) were negative for COVID-19. Of note, is that two of the negative cases were repeat samples for persons who previously tested positive.

These patients are symptom free and brings the total number of persons with no symptoms and negative results to three.

The two new cases are females with no travel history. Once case was identified during contact tracing for a previously confirmed case. Investigations and contract
tracing for both new cases are ongoing.

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.stlucianewsonline.com/antigua-govt-pulls-the-plug-on-home-quarantine/

...ANTIGUA OBSERVER) – Residents who may need to be quarantined on the suspicion that they might have come into contact with a Covid-19-infected person will no longer be able to do so in the luxury of their homes.

Instead, they will spend that time – a minimum of 14 days – in a government-controlled facility, since the risk of community spread is too great when home quarantine is allowed, the most recent Cabinet notes stated...

...Meanwhile, there were no new cases of Covid-19 reported in the country up to Wednesday, leaving the national total of confirmed cases at 23. At that time there were four Covid-19 patients being treated in the Intensive Care Unit at Mount St John’s Medical Centre, two of whom were on ventilators...

...Five of the most recently-tested patients had not yet received their results, it added.

To date, five frontline workers in Antigua and Barbuda have contracted the disease...

 

[kiwibird]

https://antiguaobserver.com/coronavi...ble-this-week/

Prime Minister Gaston Browne revealed to the nation last weekend that at least 10 percent of the population will be tested in the coming weeks to determine if there are any more cases of the dreaded corona virus and importantly increase the contact tracing of the virus across communities on Island.

Speaking on Pointe fm on Saturday Browne stated that, “in so far as testing is concerned we recognize that, that is one of the areas which we have not done very well in terms of the quantity of tests that we conduct”.

“We should definitely be in a position to commence significant testing in this coming week, I know that we have approximately 6,500 kits on Island. The Chinese have donated 2,500, the Venezuelans, 3000 and over the weekend we got in 1000 kits from PAHO”, he said.

Browne added that with these new additions the health officials are now armed and ready to conduct extensive testing within the coming weeks. Previously the twin-Island had to send all the tests to Caribbean Public Health Agency CARPHA in Trinidad.

Importantly he added that the infectious disease center is now complete, and that the facility will be opened this week. “It has the capacity to accommodate 18 nurses who will be able to live there and I am very pleased that at least the construction phase has been completed and what we will be doing for the next couple of days s to fit all of the equipment for the ventilators, and we should be able to accommodate 17 individuals who should become ill with COVID”. Browne said that now the country is better fortified to deal with any infectious disease outbreak that is to come.
...snip

 

[Shiloh]

Antigua records 24th confirmed coronavirus case...no history of travel: https://www.stlucianewsonline.com/antigua-records-24th-confirmed-coronavirus-case/

 

[kiwibird]

https://antiguaobserver.com/lockdown...ed-to-operate/

hours have been cut in half with restaurants among those allowed to operate as of today – albeit only for pick-ups and deliveries.

As of Thursday morning, residents are only required to be at home from 6pm to 6am until the curfew is reviewed again in three weeks.

“Creeping economic hardship” was cited as the reason for allowing more businesses to reopen.
Government chiefs were quick to warn Antigua and Barbuda is “not out of the woods” with regards to the coronavirus spread.

“But we are satisfied that we are not seeing the type of increase to warrant as tight restrictions,” Information Minister Melford Nicholas told a press briefing last night.

He said Cabinet believed the public had “by and large responded and adapted to” social distancing protocols.
The mandatory wearing of face masks in public places will continue. Neither will there be any relaxation of the ban on using beaches – a restraint likely to cause dismay for many.

Social gatherings of more than two people also remain prohibited.

...snip

 

[Shiloh]

...The total number of persons with laboratory confirmation of Covid-19 in Antigua and Barbuda, remains at 24 and two of those individuals are reportedly in the ICU...

Source: https://antiguaobserver.com/family-o...-for-the-best/

 

[kiwibird]

https://antiguaobserver.com/positive...-sudden-death/

By Elesha George
Elesha.george@antiguaobserver.com

Health officials have begun testing dead people for Covid-19 after the country recorded an unusual number of sudden death cases in males within the past month.
Minister of Health Molwyn Joseph said that the testing would have to be done “rather quickly” after the person has died.

“Most of the tests that we have done on people who have died suddenly have come back negative but, because of what has developed and because of the unknown, we are erring on the side of caution,” the minister told Observer radio yesterday afternoon.

And despite just hours earlier telling a press conference that none of the abrupt fatalities in recent months had returned a positive Covid-19 result, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Rhonda Sealey-Thomas later admitted one in fact had.

The CMO told Observer last night that the ministry had conducted blood tests on two sudden death cases – and one had been positive.

...snip

 

[kiwibird]

https://antiguaobserver.com/governme...-restrictions/

Elesha.george@antiguaobserver.com

Retail businesses have been added to the list of workplaces permitted to operate under the current state of emergency.

During the latest meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers, it was decided that restrictions on such businesses would be relaxed beginning from 6 am today. Information Minister Melford Nicholas said that these businesses will be allowed to open until 6 pm each day.

 

[kiwibird]

https://antiguaobserver.com/latest-c...ear-old-child/

May 4, 2020

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has disclosed that Antigua and Barbuda’s most recent confirmed case of the coronavirus is a six-year-old boy who was in the care of another Covid patient.

Browne explained that the development, “was not quite surprising” because the young boy and his entire family had been quarantined for some time.

“I believe that they are actually close to the period for quarantine or isolation and I believe they will be back into the domestic community very shortly with the exception of the youngster,” Browne said on his radio station, Pointe FM, on Saturday.

He further explained that the grandmother was the initial person who contracted the virus and “had very close touch with the grandson who is the youngest member of the family”.

The boy became the 25th confirmed case of the virus on Friday when 15 samples were returned from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) in Trinidad

 

[kiwibird]

No further tests have confirmed positive but antibody testing of people who have been quarantined will take place. The Minister of Health discusses the problems with Dengue and looks forward to the time when the flu season will come around again. He is concerned that everyone who has flu like symptoms will assume it is Coronavirus and attend hospital. They are considering a national influenza immunisation program to combat this. Cabinet will vote on this next week.
https://www.facebook.com/abstvradio/videos/342654453378802/

 

[Shiloh]

26th case: https://antiguanewsroom.com/one-more-person-test-positive-for-covid-19/

 

[kiwibird]

https://www.eturbonews.com/574190/an...rism-re-opens/

Mr. Colin James, CEO of the Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority, asserted that the total number of COVID-19 cases in Antigua & Barbuda remains at 26 with only 3 active cases where it has been since early May, as reported by the Ministry of Health, Wellness and The Environment. The Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority has refuted claims that some passengers arriving on AA2405 on Wednesday, June 10 tested positive for COVID-19
Visitors arriving in Antigua & Barbuda on commercial flights staying at approved accommodation are evaluated for COVID-19 with a series of health screenings, temperature checks and nose swabs taken for the coronavirus test. Returning nationals receive health screenings and temperature checks but are not routinely tested. Returning Nationals are required to self-quarantine for up to 14 days when their home accommodation is deemed suitable. There is an option to quarantine at the Government’s Quarantine facility if they are unable to safely quarantine at home.

At this time all results for persons arriving at the VC Bird International Airport have been negative. There have been no positive results to date for those entering the country.

.

from the 15th June.