Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – January 28, 2021: PRESS RELEASE: Since the COVID-19 disease was declared a pandemic in March 2020, at least six (6) variants have emerged. However, three new variants of concern are spreading rapidly. The United Kingdom variant known as B.1.1.7; a variant called 1.351 which emerged in South Africa; and the variants P.1 and P.2 which surfaced in Brazil.
The “UK variant” (B.1.1.7 variant),
which emerged in September 2020, has been identified in 60 countries globally
and recently, in some Caribbean countries. Initial data suggest that the
UK variant is more transmissible, and studies and analysis of the transmission
and severity of the variant are underway.
“This increased ease of
transmission of the UK variant is of grave concern for its impact on public
health, and the fight to contain and end the COVID-19 pandemic. This is
further heightened by the fact that, at present, the vaccines developed have
not yet been proven to stop disease transmission but rather to lessen the
severity of infection. There is no reported evidence of a reduction in
the effectiveness of vaccines approved for the COVID-19 virus in providing
protection from any variants. However, it is important to note that
vaccinated persons may still spread COVID-19,” said Dr. Joy St. John, Executive
Director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
With the discovery and
proliferation of multiple COVID-19 variants, it is crucial to properly and
consistently employ and increase the public’s adherence to COVID-19 control
measures, which have been shown to reduce the spread of the disease.
Dr. St. John further stated
“CARPHA is committed to supporting its Member States to stopping the spread of
the virus. We urge Member States to
enhance surveillance in residential institutions and face to face educational
settings. There must also be strict adherence to the requirements of negative
COVID-19 results for entry to the ports in the Member States, to effectively
continue combating COVID-19 spread in the Caribbean. Mandatory quarantine
has become even more important to curb the spread of the virus.”
Community surveillance should
also be enhanced thereby strengthening public health CARPHA urges
enhanced vigilance in response to COVID-19 UK variant found in the Caribbean
measures. Individuals must continue practicing the measures of
wearing face masks and covering, physical distancing, and hand sanitation in
all face-to-face settings.
It is critical to remember
that as most cases will have no or mild symptoms, COVID-19 cases may quietly
increase in the community and result in sudden increases in hospitalizations
and deaths. The first line of defence continues to be isolation of
infected persons and quarantine of travellers and any person with known or
possible exposure to infected persons.
These measures must be
practiced by all individuals as asymptomatic persons are known to be able to
spread the virus. Adequate testing is critical to surveillance measures for
residential institutions, face-to-face schooling, celebratory and religious
gatherings, and other potential spreader and super-spreader events and
activities.
The CARPHA Medical
Microbiology Laboratory (CMML) remains committed to delivering prompt COVID-19
test results to the Region and is working with its Member States in their
submission of positive SARS-CoV-2 to be sequenced. The CMML has been guiding
laboratory action through testing protocols based on the latest recommendations
by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO). With the emergence of the UK variant in the Region, it is of critical
importance for CARPHA Member States to conduct genomic sequencing to identify
this variant.
Currently, COVID-19 samples
are received by the CMML from Member States. The CMML performs acceptance
testing before they are sent to the University of the West Indies (UWI), St
Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, for genomic sequencing to be performed.
Following the sequencing process, the UWI sends the results to CARPHA for final
review and reporting. Sequencing is a lengthy process that includes
experimental and sequence analysis procedures, and the estimated turnaround
time to obtain any relevant conclusions can take up to 2 weeks from the receipt
of samples at CARPHA.
Results received from the UWI
are sent by CARPHA directly to the Chief Medical Officers at the Ministries of
Health, who are responsible for dissemination through nationally established
channels of communication.