A 66-year-old man who traveled abroad less than 14 days ago is this country’s second confirmed case of COVID-19.
The Ministry of Health released a statement after 9 pm yesterday confirming that the positive test result was communicated by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to the ministry at 7.44 pm.
The ministry said the patient went to an unnamed public health facility on Thursday and received treatment in the Accident and Emergency Department.
The statement said the man has subsequently been isolated.
The ministry did not disclose the date on which the patient returned to Trinidad or how long he had been displaying symptoms before he went to the hospital.
Activating its response protocols, the ministry said a county medical officer has started contact tracing for all persons who had close interaction with the patient. Anyone who may have been exposed will be quarantined, the release added.
News of the second case came one day after a 52-year-old man who recently returned to Trinidad from Switzerland became the first confirmed COVID-19 case in Trinidad and Tobago. He has been quarantined at the Caura Hospital.
The man, an employee of the energy-company Proman, went to Switzerland on what the company called “business-critical travel.” Proman said the employee followed company protocol and global health guidance by isolating himself after returning home in a private vehicle.
Maria Regina, a private school on Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain, closed its doors hours later because the patient’s child is enrolled there.
Both cases are considered ‘imported’ since each patient traveled days before becoming ill.
The ministry said it would provide additional information on the second patient once it becomes available.
