The Ministry of Health has confirmed that Dominica has another positive COVID-19 case – the fourth since the country reopened its borders. According to the national epidemiologist, Dr. Shalauddin Ahmed, Dominica has now recorded a total of 22 coronavirus cases with zero COVID-19 deaths.
The first three cases after the border reopened were imported from abroad, but the latest fourth case tested positive after quarantining on return from overseas. A total of 60 people who had contacts with the four positive cases have been identified, and 44 of them tested negative to the pandemic, Shalauddin Ahmed revealed.
Minister of Health Dr. Irving McIntyre said the health ministry will continue to work round the clock to prevent the spread of the disease and its potential negative effects on people and country.
“Our focus remains on prevention, rapid detection, and appropriate target response, that way we will be able to reduce the mobility and mortality related to COVID-19 as well as reducing the socio-economic impacts for repeated lockdown,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ruby Blanc of the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital has revealed that there are no definite drugs or course of treatment globally standardized for treating COVID-19. She said health professionals usually place coronavirus patients on intravenous fluids with a combination of analgesics and antibiotics, with the occasional use of steroids in necessary instances.
“They’re given medications to combat the fever and pain, antibiotics, and for those of you who read a little bit of medicine, you may see that steroids, usually in the form of dexamethasone, has recently been shown to make a big difference in patients with COVID in terms of their recovery,” Dr. Blanc disclosed.
The Ministry of Health recommends washing of hands, maintaining of social distances, and covering of nose and mouth, as important for preventing the spread of coronavirus among healthy people.
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