Barbados recorded its 45th death from COVID-19, a 63-year-old man the latest person to succumb to the viral illness.
Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic said the man was admitted to the Harrison Point Isolation Centre in St Lucy on April 23. He was intubated and ventilated for six days suffering from severe acute respiratory illness.
Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic said the man was admitted to the Harrison Point Isolation Centre in St Lucy on April 23. He was intubated and ventilated for six days suffering from severe acute respiratory illness.
Meanwhile, there were 15 new cases from 353 tests conducted by the Best Dos-Santos Public Health Laboratory. Of those new cases, three are from the Psychiatric Hospital, including two male in-patients and one male out-patent. Overall, there are six males and nine females.
There is also a St Michael family of eight with the illness.
A family member had tested positive earlier and the Minster said this was of great concern to the Ministry. Contact tracing has commenced.
These new cases increased the positivity rate from 1.5 per cent over the last seven days to just under 5 per cent. As of March one, the infection rate is 31.3 cases per 100 000 over a 14-day region. The target is 25 per 100 000.
Bostic said this was an improvement, but there were pockets of resistance to which attention must be paid.
On May 2, four people recovered and were discharged, while 93 remain in isolation.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is 3 881 (1 886 females and 1 995 males), and there were 3 804 recoveries. Forty-five people died from the virus.
Since February 2020, the public health laboratory has conducted 154 952 tests.
Under the National Vaccination Programme, 74 866 vaccinations (first and second doses) were administered to 30 962 men and 43 924 women. To date, 18 020 people have been fully vaccinated during the second phase of the programme. (SAT)
