‘So we move from a situation in December when eight out of ten beds were filled to now two out of ten beds being filled’ – Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards
By Chantalé Flectcher
FOR the first time since April 2021, there are no patients in Covid-19 stepdown facilities in Trinidad and Tobago.
“This trend has been consistent over the past ten days,” said Principal Medical Officer of Institutions Dr Maryam Abdool-Richards at the Prime Minister’s press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s on Saturday.
Dr Abdool-Richards said that as of this morning, there were 173 patients in the hospitals of the parallel healthcare system.
She said, “Our step downs are in actuality empty.”
Dr Abdool-Richards stated there was a progressively decreased burden on the country’s healthcare system.
She said, “Over the last six weeks, all our hospitals are under the 75% warning zone we had looked at, which has not been seen for almost one year.
“The Couva Hospital and Multi-Training Facility which manages our severely and critically ill patients is at 23% occupancy this morning, where only two out of ten beds were occupied.”
Dr Abdool-Richards said Intensive Care Unit (ICU) occupancy was 26% which was 21 out of 80 beds in the system currently filled.
At the accident and emergency departments, there were no patients who required ICU care, the doctor said.
She said, “The overall occupancy was 22% which were the 173 patients. So we move from a situation in December when eight out of ten beds were filled to now two out of ten beds being filled.”
Dr Abdool-Richards also stated there were 28 patients in the ten accident and emergency departments.
Meanwhile, Thoracic Medical Director of the Caura Hospital Dr Michelle Trotman urged persons to continue vaccination and practice all health protocols.
She said, “As we continue to see patients who are ill with Covid-19, who are unvaccinated.”
Dr Trotman said persons were coming in for treatment in the hospitals because they required either oxygen, antibiotics… which could only be provided in the hospital setting.
She also encouraged patients to present themselves early to be investigated and check for any underlying health conditions.
Dr Trotman said, “Overall, we are seeing less patients but there were still patients in the system. We are asking you to encourage someone you know to vaccinate and practice your three Ws at all times.”
