(Barbados Today) The risk of a new, mysterious strain of Coronavirus to the Caribbean is “low” but public health officials need to be prepared for a possible outbreak here, said Dr Joy St John, the former chief medical officer of Barbados who is now the head of the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was identified by Chinese authorities in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The virus was never before thought to be transmitted from human to human.
Since the original notice two weeks ago, there have been more than 300 cases reported globally – up to Tuesday. Then, late on Wednesday, the Chinese National Health Committee reported more than 571 confirmed cases of patients with pneumonia, and 17 deaths from the 2019-nCoV.
The virus has since spread to Thailand, Republic of Korea and the United States.
There have been no confirmed cases or reports of coronavirus in the Caribbean so far, and based on current information, the immediate health risk from this virus to the general public remains low, Dr St John said.
In a statement, she said: “CARPHA is monitoring developments and working closely with its international health partners to respond to this health threat and provide timely advice and support to the preparedness activities of Caribbean Member States.”
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
This 2019-nCoV virus is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans.
She added: “CARPHA is aware that this is an early stage of the outbreak and is awaiting clarity on the characterization of the behaviour of the virus, including severity of the infection, and the level of transmissibility.
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