Despite a significant increase in positive cases in several areas, Grenada’s health authorities believe that the island is not facing a community spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.
“We continue our investigations in the communities to find out where these cases are linked, if we are unable to find a link for these cases upon investigations then we will make that determination as to whether we have community spread,” said Dr Shawn Charles, Acting Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), community spread/transmission is evidenced by the inability to link confirmed cases through transmission chains for a large number of cases, or by an increase in positive tests through sentinel samples (routine systematic testing of respiratory samples from established laboratories).
Dr. Charles stated last week that Grenada’s uptick was connected to home and yard parties, as well as other large gathering gatherings that did not get approval from the proper health authorities.
In an address to the country last week Friday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell announced there will be a series of super-spreader activities over the week of August 8-15, which has historically been the conclusion of the island’s Carnival celebrations but has been cancelled in 2021, as it was last year.
However, hundreds of people arrived for the early morning celebrations, ignoring protocols such as mask wearing and social distance.
Dr Charles told reporters after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that hundreds of people had been tested for COVID-19 and that results for a large proportion of them were still waiting.
There are 44 active cases at the moment. Seven of those are imported cases, and one is import-related. The remaining instances are all local, with no recent travel history. Four of the positive local patients have been immunized.
According to Dr. Charles, patients are spread throughout several towns, although the outbreak is most prevalent in St George’s Northwest and Northeast, Gouyave, and four villages in the parish of St Andrew.
According to Health Minister Nickolas Steele, based on observations, health officials think the Delta variant of the virus is infecting Grenadians.
“This Delta Variant is literally a brand-new virus because of its level of infection, it’s unforgivable, we’ve had cases before of positive people being in the presence of other people without masks etc and they weren’t infected because it wasn’t Delta variant,” he said, adding that the government will continue to push its national vaccination program while also enforcing existing health and safety regulations.
