TCI COVID drop means better Safety Rating by CDC Come April 18

By Deandrea Hamilton & Dana Malcolm

Editorial Staff

#TurksandCaicos, April 15, 2022 – TCI will be returning to Level Two travel rating by the US Centers for Disease Control said TCI Minister of Health Jamell Robinson, and the change will be seen as soon as Easter Monday.

Turks and Caicos Islands is one of the many countries enjoying a downward trend in new coronavirus cases, hospitalisations and deaths.

Last week’s COVID-19 dashboard for the TCI revealed,  new infections are low. Total cases were 23 on Saturday with 13 new infections over the course of last week.

All 13 new cases were picked up in Provo but thankfully there were no hospitalizations, no deaths and three recoveries.

As we enter the Easter holiday weekend the Health Ministry is urging islanders keep up with washing their hands frequently, wearing masks especially indoors since that is still required by law and practicing of social distancing.

A new variant of Covid-19 was recently discovered in the UK. The new variant XE is a recombinant meaning it is made up of Omicron BA1 and BA2 and it might be the most transmissible one yet, say experts.

In a report the World Health Organization (WHO) said the recombinant was first detected in the United Kingdom on January 19th and more than 600 cases have been confirmed since.

The WHO also reported while they needed more confirmation, ‘early estimates’ indicated a higher transmissibility when compared to BA2.

“Based on the initial analysis of available sequences, there is a slight growth advantage of this recombinant over BA.2, about a 10 per cent increase in transmissibility. Not 10 times as has been reported by some. But we are analysing this with all available information and we continue to do so. There are thousands of professionals working around the world to understand what these changes mean,” said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead in the Covid-19 response and Epidemiologist with the WHO.