In the highest weekly jump in COVID-19 cases since October 4th, 2022, the Ministry of Health reported 559 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. These new cases were recorded between February 22nd and 28th. The seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases, meaning the number of new COVID-19 cases recorded daily during the seven days, also rose to 80 cases a day, on average, marking a high since October 2022 and the highest for 2023 to date.
The Ministry of Health also reported eight new COVID-19 fatalities, marking the fourth-highest weekly jump for the year, including one person without underlying health conditions. The deceased included six elderly males, one elderly female, and one middle-aged female. Year-to-date, of the 58 COVID-19-related deaths, 52 were not fully vaccinated.
Hospitalizations are also at the third highest level for the year, with 53 people warded in hospital, just behind the post-Christmas spike where 74 patients were warded in the public healthcare system on January 21st, 2023. According to the Ministry of Health, 48 patients are warded in the parallel healthcare system, which includes the Couva Hospital and Multi-training Facility, the Caura Hospital, Arima General Hospital, and the Scarborough Regional Hospital. Within the Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility, one patient is in the intensive care unit, and three are in the high-dependency unit.
Five patients are also warded within what the Health Ministry calls the “Hybrid System.” These facilities include the Port of Spain General Hospital and San Fernando General Hospital, which are now equipped to treat and ward COVID-19 patients without transfer to the parallel healthcare system.
There are now 348 COVID-19-positive patients that are being monitored by the Ministry of Health in home self-isolation, a marked increase from the prior week when there were only two patients in home self-isolation being monitored by the Ministry. In addition, 20 patients have been discharged from public health facilities, while 385 people who were in home self-isolation have recovered from the disease in the last week. There are no patients in step-down facilities across Trinidad and Tobago.
During the Carnival period, vaccinations remained low for both new inoculations and booster doses. Over the last seven days, 261 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine were administered, with 111 people receiving a COVID-19 booster.
