Emerging COVID-19 family cluster is newest worry for health ministry

Minister of Health and Wellness Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic says though most clusters identified over the past several weeks are now inactive, officials are keeping close tabs on a developing family group to ensure it remains under control.

Speaking on Friday during a media conference to mark the arrival of 70,200 Pfizer vaccines, a donation from the Joe Biden administration, Bostic lauded coronavirus-positive individuals for sharing information and making it easier for officials to carry out contact tracing.

He said while the clusters identified recently were now under control, there was fresh concern about the family cluster that was developing.

“We have been able to quarantine families in order to contain the spread, but that is the one major cluster we are looking at at this point. Only yesterday (Thursday) we started to see the development of another family cluster that we are watching, but we are on top of things where these clusters are concerned,” said Bostic.

He gave no indication of where this new family cluster may have started. However, the health minister pointed out that several clusters identified towards the end of last month and early this month were now “inactive”.

“We indicated before that there were several clusters. Most of the clusters are inactive. The cluster of concern at the moment remains what we call the ‘bar cluster’, starting with a wedding locally and then some bar hopping. That cluster is still growing,” he said.

Bostic said the last count, not taking Friday’s COVID-19 results into consideration, was 49.

However, he said, “We have been able to contain to the extent that the contact tracing process has been going very well.”

Towards the end of July, health officials reported several clusters while indicating that the major areas of concern for the Ministry of Health continued to be places of worship and businesses.

By August 1, the Ministry of Health issued a statement that several bars in the Wellington Street, Suttle Street, Nelson Street areas of The City, as well as along the Mighty Grynner Highway, were associated with a recent cluster of cases.
(marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)