The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health has received confirmation of eleven new confirmed cases of COVID-19 disease. This brings the territory’s total confirmed cases to seventeen—nine in the St. Croix district and eight in the St. Thomas/St. John district.
One of the latest St. Croix confirmed cases was a Limetree Bay contractor who has not recently traveled outside of St. Croix and has been quarantined. This marks the first case of “community transmission” of COVID-19 on St. Croix. Epidemiologists have conducted contact tracing as a part of their routine investigation process with the support of Limetree Bay Staff. All contacts of the Limetree Bay case, inside Limetree Bay, are also being quarantined. This confirms that there is person-to-person spread in both districts and underscores the importance of social distancing.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, “Community spread means people have been infected with the virus in an area, including some who are not sure how or where they became infected.” Social distancing, according to the CDC, is “remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings, and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet) from others when possible.”
Health officials, in collaboration with other agencies, have been closely monitoring the global outbreak and building capacity to prevent the spread of the disease in the territory and to respond to positive cases.
The department’s Epidemiology Division continues to provide testing for cases that meet the Person Under Investigation (PUI) criteria, conduct contact tracing and assist healthcare providers and the public with up-to-date education as to what to do to prevent additional cases.
While the risk of severe illness for most is low, the risk for transmission is high and precautions must still be taken to avoid widespread transmission within our community. A person may also get COVID-19 by touching a surface that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or eyes.