COVID-19: 'Do not go to the health facility, call!'- CEHO Lionel E. Michael
Mr Michael was at the time speaking on the Tuesday, March 10, 2020, edition of the Honestly Speaking radio show with Claude O. Skelton-Cline on ZBVI 780 AM where he noted that good personal hygiene practices remain paramount to preventing the spread of the virus.
One person can infect up to four
On that note, Epidemiologist Harmony Brewley said understanding COVID-19 and how it spreads, means first understanding the transmissibility of the virus, which is roughly about 3-4 persons from one infected person.
Infections can come through direct and indirect means from contact with an infected person and via contact with contaminated objects that contain the virus she said.
"And then we have what is called community transmission which is what many countries like the USA and Australia are seeing, whereby the person doesn't know where they contracted the virus from, so because these viruses can survive on surfaces for a number of days, you may not have to directly come in contact with a person," she said.
No rushing to health centres
According to Brewery, "If you think based on your travel history, or coming in contact with some who may be suspected of having COVID-19, is that you alert your medical health professionals... We don't want persons to just show up at the facility," she said.
The Epidemiologist noted that persons should then be isolated in a room in the home a designated caregiver will then be trained to use personal protective equipment (PPE's) to minimise the risk of transmission.
She said if the home is too small and spacial arrangement is not conducive to quarantine, infected persons will be siphoned away to a state-controlled quarantine facility.
The BVI Health Services Authority switchboard for reporting cases is 852-7500, in addition to 852-7655 for general inquiries.
According to World Meter, 175,203 persons have been infected globally and 6713 have died from Novel Coronavirus.
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