Health Ministry working to clear home isolation discharge backlog

The backlog of persons awaiting discharge from home isolation is being dealt with as a matter of priority by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. The Most Honourable Kenneth George, said the Ministry was aware of the current distress experienced by many persons who may have recovered from COVID-19 and are awaiting discharge from the home isolation team, especially those who need their documents to return to work.

Dr. George explained that the over 11,000 persons in home isolation did not all qualify for discharge as most of them were active COVID-19 cases and still isolating. Currently, the backlog of persons who are to be discharged stands at just over 3,000.

Additional resources have been mobilised to be able to cope with this rapid increase in positive persons, which has resulted from the current Omicron surge.  The Ministry is also swiftly exploring the implementation of an automated system for dealing with the discharge process so as to further increase efficiency.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness regrets the inconvenience caused and assures the public that the matter is being dealt with expeditiously. (BGIS)