Infectious diseases expert Dr Corey Forde said on Monday that over the last few weeks he has seen younger people fall ill with coronavirus (COVID-19) and repeated appeals for protocols to be followed.
“There is this notion that young people do not get ill, this has certainly not been the case over the last few weeks, where we had one or two younger folks but we were able to pull them back,” he said.
The expert was speaking during a press conference at Ilaro Court on the management of COVID-19 in Barbados.
Forde also noted that there are three patients in the primary intensive care area. He said they are stable, but classified as severe COVID. They are two Barbadians, one of whom lives in the United States; and a visitor from the United Kingdom.
Forde, head of the Infection Prevention and Control/ Infectious Diseases Programme at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, also warned that although the majority of patients presenting with COVID-19 are asymptomatic, their condition can change very quickly.
He explained this is why the methodology used by health care workers has reaped success and has led to a lower death rate and fewer complications associated with COVID-19.
Forde thanked ICU consultants Dr Hassell and Dr Lovell and staff for their dedication and careful monitoring of patients. He said it is the watching of patients and the implementing of drugs to manage their conditions that has been critical in “pulling them back” when they move from asymptomatic to the symptomatic stage.
Forde said, however, that staff had encountered difficult situations whereby asymptomatic people are often challenging because they feel well.
He made a strong appeal to the public to wear masks to protect themselves, people in their bubble and, by extension, medical personnel “who are flat out on the ground”.
Forde made the point that fewer patients meant less exposure for health care workers.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic, Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams, Attorney General Dale Marshall, chairman of the COVID-19 Sub-Committee Senator Dr Jerome Walcott and Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Kenneth George also participated in the press conference.
The interactive session was facilitated by CBC TV 8 and Starcom Network and hosted by David Ellis. The public was allowed to call in and ask questions. (KG)
