PORT OF SPAIN –Trinidad and Tobago Health Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh, on Saturday criticised people who attended three birthday parties in Tobago resulting in one death and numerous other positive cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) as regional countries continued their plea to citizens to take precaution and heed the call to curb the spread of the virus.
Deyalsingh, speaking at the Ministry of Health news conference, said that 11 people tested positive for the virus as a result of the parties.
“Tobago is seeing, in our view, a disturbing and significant upsurge in cases. And the contact tracing has revealed a very disturbing series of events that took place in Tobago with the help of people from Trinidad,” Deyalsingh said, noting that there was a birthday party in Tobago on November 22 which led to five COVID-19 cases and one death.
He said on November 28, there was another birthday party leading to five more cases, and another on December 8 which led to one COVID-19 case.
“We have been advising the population not to have gatherings out of your immediate family. We are concerned about what is happening in Tobago. We stand ready to support the Tobago Regional Health Authority,” the Health Minister said.
Meanwhile, the health authorities said that 19 new cases of the virus were detected here from samples taken between December 8 and 10. Of these, one was a recently repatriated person.
In its latest bulletin, the Ministry of Health said that there are 627 active cases, six people have been discharged from public health facilities and there are 27 newly recovered community cases.
It said that there was no new death with the total remaining at 122. Of the 6 852 cases since March, 6 103 recovered. (CMC)
