The Minister of Health and Social Development, Honorable Carvin Malone just announced that the 8th case of COVID-19 has recovered in accordance with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) re-testing guidelines.
The Minister said “the Chief Medical Officer Dr. [Irad] Potter has reported to me that they have conducted a series of tests on the last case, case number 8 and on the contact tracing and none of the contacts are positive. In fact, all are negative including the last case, case number eight. So, we can now declare that the Virgin Islands as we stand today, now is COVID-19 free”
The CARPHA guidance outlines that a re-test is carried out 15 to 20 days after the positive patient is diagnosed. Once the result of the first re-test is negative, a second re-rest is undertaken 24 hours after and when both re-test results are negative, the patient is then discharged and considered recovered from COVID-19 virus.
The Minister commended the efforts of Government, the health officials and the general public in slowing the spread of the virus.
Minister Malone said this new outcome is as a result of the combined efforts and urged residents to remain vigilant to ensure that we do not record a second wave of COVID-19. He said “we have to not get wary in well doing, it is not over, we have our people who are coming back. We are testing and making sure that all of the spaces that are quarantine being actual certified so we can get the first wave of people back between the 2nd and 15th”
To date the territory has tested 161 persons with 8 confirmed cases, 7 recoveries and one death.
This is the first time that the BVI has recorded a 100% recovery rate since the onset of the dreaded Coronavirus.