By Chantalé Fletcher
PREPARATIONS are in place to move the country from a pandemic to a state of endemicity of the Covid-19 virus.
On Saturday, Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh at the ministry’s virtual press conference noted that Cabinet note was approved to have a seroprevalence study on Covid-19 in Trinidad and Tobago.
Deyalsingh said, “The Cabinet note is premised on the country moving from a state where the virus is a pandemic to a state of endemicity, but we are not yet there.”
He stated that when a virus no longer posed a threat to one’s healthcare system, this was one characteristic of a virus becoming endemic.
Deyalsingh also said that the Government was preparing for this with the decommissioning of the Point Fortin Hospital.
He said the hospital was on target to be fully decommissioned as a Covid-19 facility by March 12.
The minister said, “And from the following week, it will be returned to the people of the southwestern peninsula for their use as a general primary and secondary care facility.”
Deyalsingh added that the Government would also slowly decommission other facilities based on time-risk analysis.
He said the Arima General Hospital and the Tacarigua Racquet Centre as a step-down facility were also air-marked for decommissioning.
Deyalsingh said, “Once the number allows us to, we will start to look at other facilities moving forward but we will retain the Couva facility in the medium term as a Covid facility.
“We may also retain the St James facility for the northwest peninsula. And if the numbers continue to be favourable, was to decommission the Field Hospital at the Jean Pierre Complex, and possibly move it to another RHA.”
Seroprevalence study
Seroprevalence project would be led by the Ministry of Health with support from the University of the West Indies with Immunologist Dr Carla Maria Alexander and Professor Christine Carrington as technical leads.
In addition, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) would also be involved in the study to examine how the country would move from a pandemic to endemicity.
Deyalsingh said the study will help, “Determine the levels of antibodies in the population by examining the blood samples, taking their serum and looking for the levels of antibodies in the general population.”
He added that it would help fill knowledge gaps and determine how close the estimates were to determine where the natural immunity was in the population.
Deyalsingh also said it would help determine how we move from a state of a pandemic to a state of endemicity.
“And it predicts in the future coming months, such as how much hospital capacity we need as we move to endemicity, and what are the possible chances of future surges as immunity waves whether its natural immunity or induced immunity.”
