COVID-19 in Trinidad & Tobago (Local Updates & Discussions Only)

[Dohplaydat]

Minister of Health: So far a total of 37 patients have been discharged

Currently there are 109 patients across the parallel health facilities setup to handle those infected with Covid-19

T&T is using only 50% of all facilities set up so far for handling Covid-19

63 community surveillance tests were carried out so far and all were negative.

well that is some good news- so far no evidence of community spread. but this testing should continue till the end of the month and then once we still have 0 cases then relax restrictions.

Lol at only 50%, no wonder they went the strict Lockdown route.

[Gladiator]

Yeah that's frightening... it seems as though he came here with it from NYC for Carnival in T&T... hope he didn't spread it to anyone else.

More details from the family and friends of victim #1. If one takes March 6 as the date when symptoms first presented themselves, their account lends more credibility to the Carnival infection theory...

Widow of Trini ‘Iron Man’ Hansel Leon ‘stunned’ by his sudden death
Nelson A. King

The widow of Trinidadian “Iron Man,” Hansel B. Leon, Sr., who died in his native land on March 25, says she is “stunned” by his sudden passing. Leon was 77.

“His death has stunned me,” Trinidadian Gemma Thomas-Ahyase told Caribbean Life in an exclusive interview over the weekend. “I’m not happy that, in Trinidad, they published a lot of his personal information, but that will be handled later.”

Thomas-Ahyase, a Brooklyn lawyer, did not elaborate the latter statement.

Leon’s daughters, Krishanda Leon-Jemmott and Natasha Leon-Craigwell – both residents of Brooklyn – told Caribbean Life that their father died at Couva Hospital in Trinidad and Tobago.

“As a family, it is still unclear of how he died,” they said in an interview.

But Herman Hall, the Grenadian-born publisher of the Brooklyn-based, Caribbean American magazine, Everybody’s, posted on Facebook, on Mar. 26, that Leon, who resided in Flatbush, Brooklyn, was “a victim of COVID-19.”

In conveying what she said was her side of the story, Thomas-Ahyase, who resides in Canarsie, Brooklyn, said she and Leon had travelled to Trinidad and Tobago, in February, during the twin-island republic’s carnival season.

“We normally go there every year,” she said. “I have family in Port-of-Spain (the Trinidad capital), and he has a family home in San Fernando (considered Trinidad’s second capital). He would normally spend most of his time with me and my family.

“He was spending more time in San Fernando this time, when he became ill,” added Thomas-Ahyase, however.

Around Friday, March 6, she said Leon told her in a telephone conversation that he wasn’t eating much.

“But he always talks about eating sparsely and scolds me for buying and eating too many different things,” she said. “So, I had no reason to suspect he had no appetite.”

On March 8, Thomas-Ahyase said Leon “came into Pizza Hut in Gulf City (in Trinidad) and sat across from me after I’d travelled from Port-of-Spain.

“We didn’t touch, but he looked really haggard, and his eyes looked ‘veiled’,” she said. “I thought it was a result of his love of the bottle. So, next day, I scolded him on the phone from Port-of-Spain.

“That Wednesday, he told me his chest was tight, and I pleaded with him to go to the hospital or (to see) a doctor,” Thomas-Ahyase added. “But he went to bed instead.

“We agreed for him to come to Port-of-Spain next day,” she continued, “but he didn’t have the strength to get himself together. I just thought he had the flu, but I was concerned.”

On the morning of Friday, April 13, Thomas-Ahyase said she got the Trinidad and Tobago number for Leon’s “best friend’s wife, who I knew was staying in San Fernando, and I asked her to take him to a doctor or hospital for me.”

“She had to call an ambulance,” Thomas-Ahyase said. “Everyone is speculating, but me and his best friends from Georgia, and one son and his youngest daughter, were the closest to him.

“I was closest of all, because we spent most of the time together at my home and his,” she added. “He/we were not on any cruise.”

Thomas-Ahyase said she and Leon “became best friends for four years before we began a relationship and married quietly.”

She disclosed that they were married in the Municipal Building, downtown Brooklyn, on Sept. 29, 2017, and that “there was no wedding.”

“I plan to join with the pan fraternity if they would allow me in memorializing his life,” Thomas-Ahyase said.

Hall said that Leon — who promoted steelpan music in the US for almost four decades and “was once married to (the) popular Jean Leon, well known Trinbagonian-New Yorker and former Director of Nursing at Kings County Medical Center — made his annual pilgrimage to Trinidad & Tobago carnival on Feb. 5; he remained in his birth country to avoid wintry New York.”

Hall said Leon, who was a welder by occupation, “fell ill on March 13 and (was) admitted at Couva Hospital.

“Based on his early departure from NY, he may have contracted the deadly virus in Trinidad & Tobago,” Hall wrote on Facebook.

Jean Leon, who was actually a chief executive officer at the sprawling Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, told Caribbean Life that she and Leon were divorced 23 years ago.

She had referred the paper to Leon’s elder daughter, Krishanda, for more information about her ex-husband’s passing.

Krishanda then sought out younger sister, Natasha, to join the interview.

“Daddy had an ear for timing and rhythm like no other,” they said. “He played many roles in the steel band fraternity. His talents allowed him to play many percussion instruments skillfully, including the tenor steel pan.

“He was well known for playing the iron, thus his nickname the ‘Iron Man’,” they added. “He did not only bring his musical talents to this community (Brooklyn) but also his smile, personality and dance moves.”

Hall also said that Leon “beat the iron in the rhythm section of several steel band orchestras in Brooklyn, as they rehearsed for Brooklyn’s panorama at the Brooklyn Museum grounds every Labor Day weekend, and added ‘riddim’ in most soca/calypso parties and concerts.

“A diehard fan of calypso, steelpan, carnival and other events that promoted the culture of Trinidad & Tobago, ‘Hanny’ (Leon) was a regular or ‘limer’ at Sesame Flyers, the popular cultural and educational organization on Church Avenue, Brooklyn,” he said.

“He attended calypso tents and shows presented by Everybody’s magazine,” Hall added.

Joyce Quamina — the Trinidadian-born, former long-standing treasurer of the Brooklyn-based West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), the group that organizes the annual Caribbean carnival extravaganza in Brooklyn — said Leon was “a good ‘Iron Man’.

“I know him beating the iron,” she told Caribbean Life tersely.

Krishanda and Natasha said that the family was “deeply saddened, devastated and heart broken,” over their father’s passing.

“No amount of words can describe the loss that the family feels,” they said. “It is unfortunate that we had no contact with him weeks before his death, after many requests to speak with him.

“Daddy was full of life and, according to the other patients that were reported in the news, he was able to shine some of his light and positivity on them while in the midst of their battle with the virus (coronavirus — COVID-10) and given circumstances,” they added. “He was jovial, altruistic and loved by all he encountered.”

Natasha and Krishanda said the steel band fraternity in Brooklyn “has acknowledged that they have lost a great addition to their community.

“There has been an outpour of love from the steel band fraternity,” they said. “Many have reached out to offer their condolences and (to) share happy memories that they had with him.

“The steel band community has expressed great willingness to attend and contribute music in memory of my father,” added the sisters, disclosing that their father was cremated the day after his death.

“Due to the current circumstance with COVID-19, the family is unaware of when we can have a service and memorial for my father,” they continued. “However, when time permits, we will indefinitely give him the home going service and memorial that he deserves.”

Natasha and Krishanda said that their father, who was born on Nov. 13, 1942, in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, lived in New York for 49 years.

https://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/widow-of-trini-iron-man-hansel-leon-stunned-by-his-sudden-death/

[VII]

BS..

[Rovin]

[dean_spleen09]

Yeah that's frightening... it seems as though he came here with it from NYC for Carnival in T&T... hope he didn't spread it to anyone else.

wrong.
he got it from the warrenville dude who died , in a party the warrenville dude had.
one of the local "reporters" had a story on this.

[goalpost]

I am still very apprehensive of this quite sudden slowing of positive cases.

[Dizzy28]

Yeah that's frightening... it seems as though he came here with it from NYC for Carnival in T&T... hope he didn't spread it to anyone else.

wrong.
he got it from the warrenville dude who died , in a party the warrenville dude had.
one of the local "reporters" had a story on this.

Based on the news stories published we got info on 4 deaths - Carenage woman from Costa Favolosa cruise, Hansel Leon, Tobago old guy and Mootiram from Williamsville no one died from Warrenville.

[Gladiator]

Yeah that's frightening... it seems as though he came here with it from NYC for Carnival in T&T... hope he didn't spread it to anyone else.

wrong.
he got it from the warrenville dude who died , in a party the warrenville dude had.
one of the local "reporters" had a story on this.

You have link for the story...

[dean_spleen09]

Yeah that's frightening... it seems as though he came here with it from NYC for Carnival in T&T... hope he didn't spread it to anyone else.

wrong.
he got it from the warrenville dude who died , in a party the warrenville dude had.
one of the local "reporters" had a story on this.

Based on the news stories published we got info on 4 deaths - Carenage woman from Costa Favolosa cruise, Hansel Leon, Tobago old guy and Mootiram from Williamsville no one died from Warrenville.

warrenville /williamsville , same thing

[Dizzy28]

Yeah that's frightening... it seems as though he came here with it from NYC for Carnival in T&T... hope he didn't spread it to anyone else.

wrong.
he got it from the warrenville dude who died , in a party the warrenville dude had.
one of the local "reporters" had a story on this.

Based on the news stories published we got info on 4 deaths - Carenage woman from Costa Favolosa cruise, Hansel Leon, Tobago old guy and Mootiram from Williamsville no one died from Warrenville.

warrenville /williamsville , same thing

Seem neither Geography nor English is within your forte

[paid_influencer]

I am still very apprehensive of this quite sudden slowing of positive cases.

indeed. the most worrying thing is that we've only done 63 surveillance tests so far.

To reopen, we need to know the prevalence of the virus in the population (as Rovin's comic shows). Until the MoH ramps up surveillance testing, we all just 'moving blind'

[dean_spleen09]

Seem neither Geography nor English is within your forte

[aaron17]

I am still very apprehensive of this quite sudden slowing of positive cases.

indeed. the most worrying thing is that we've only done 63 surveillance tests so far.

To reopen, we need to know the prevalence of the virus in the population (as Rovin's comic shows). Until the MoH ramps up surveillance testing, we all just 'moving blind'

And the time those testing were done are too late to trace.

[Redress10]

Yeah that's frightening... it seems as though he came here with it from NYC for Carnival in T&T... hope he didn't spread it to anyone else.

wrong.
he got it from the warrenville dude who died , in a party the warrenville dude had.
one of the local "reporters" had a story on this.

Whenever he presented himself for medical attention would have been somewhere between day 5-10 of his disease. Thats when symptoms worsen to such a point that a person requires medical attention. Remember the disease progresses in very specific ways and timelines.

Read the medical journals from frontline doctors world wide and you would understand how the disease presents itself.

[toyolink]

With all that's been shared/said by the authorities, I am very keen on being informed about what happens after the curve is 'flattened'.
Communication thus far about flattening the curve is focused on keeping infection rate at a level so as not surpass the handling capability of our health care system, this still leaves unanswered how are we to manage on an ongoing basis this virus which has now taken domicile amongst us.
Realistically we may just have as citizens to deal with this much like H1N1 except there is no vaccine at present.
We certainly not going to survive living like dooms day preppers.
Major sporting events, major family celebrations, major religious events, major cultural events and many big employers need to come out of hibernation long before a vaccine is available.
This conversation must be had with the national community in a manner to facilitate buy-in and unity in purpose, since this will certainly impact on life styles, behaviors and possibly employment and other regulations.
The road map committee would hopefully recognize that this issue is the most immediate item for resolution, since nothing can be reactivated if we in hiding.

[Dohplaydat]

With all that's been shared/said by the authorities, I am very keen on being informed about what happens after the curve is 'flattened'.
Communication thus far about flattening the curve is focused on keeping infection rate at a level so as not surpass the handling capability of our health care system, this still leaves unanswered how are we to manage on an ongoing basis this virus which has now taken domicile amongst us.
Realistically we may just have as citizens to deal with this much like H1N1 except there is no vaccine at present.
We certainly not going to survive living like dooms day preppers.
Major sporting events, major family celebrations, major religious events, major cultural events and many big employers need to come out of hibernation long before a vaccine is available.
This conversation must be had with the national community in a manner to facilitate buy-in and unity in purpose, since this will certainly impact on life styles, behaviors and possibly employment and other regulations.
The road map committee would hopefully recognize that this issue is the most immediate item for resolution, since nothing can be reactivated if we in hiding.

A minimum we need to be able to handle 100 to 200 hospitalizations due to covid (active hospitalizations). This would translate into having roughly 500-1000 active cases, which would mean roughly 50-100 new cases per day.

Once we have the capacity for that, slowly open back up the country while always keeping those most at risk (sick and elderly) isolated as much as they can until mass vaccination and herd immunity is achieved at 70% of the population.

[MaxPower]

I am certain the Govt’s plan is to delay testing as much as they could. They dont want the numbers too high.

So restrict the country and promote SD constantly and let the sick people SQ on their own.

[Gladiator]

So just a basic deduction timeline of Mr. Leon's movements... and to chook the discussion cause I bored

5th Feb - Mr. Leon Comes to T&T for Carnival
25th to 26th Feb - Carnival
6th March - He starts feeling ill
8th March - Very Ill
12th March - T&T's first COVID Confirmed Case
13th March - Leon Admitted to Couva Hospital
25th March - Mr Leon Died

Scenario 1 : Imported case - Possible incubation time = 21+ days incubation
Scenario 2 : Local Transmission (but from whom)

Possible Conclusions:

1. This was an imported case from a person that came in for Carnival. In that case it could be treated as isolated with or without no further transmission.

2. This was a locally transmission case that could result in other cases being present out there. But who did he contract it from since the first confirmed case was Imported (stressed alot by the authorities for the public's pacification) that was confirmed 6 days after Mr. Leon started feeling ill.

Now there is a paper written about outlier incubation periods of up to 27 days.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chin ... SKCN20G06W

I for one would prefer that this was an isolated imported case pre-carnival with a 20+ day incubation than a locally transmitted case.

Good information here: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavir ... od/#ref-11

[paid_influencer]

i have a fever

i haven't left the house in three weeks, so i dont know what the firetruck

gonna stop posting now unless i end up in Caura or something dramatic happens on the news

[EFFECTIC DESIGNS]

I won't lie the cases real low jed, makes you feel so safe yet unsafe....

But thus far the CDC director has confirmed the article on CNN That claimed the second wave would be far worse was actually fake news, he said in winter it would be more complicated due to seasonal flu

Dr Birx from the whitehouse said she expects that we should be able to handle the second wave better since we will be better prepared. We meaning the US

Same should apply for Trinidad, now that we know how all of this works and we have a plan hopefully the government has a plan, when we reopen which will happen in a few months time if not 1 month time, we should be better prepared to deal with this, since angostura has switched to manufacturing hand sanitizers and we should have lots of masks coming in soon etc.

The best strategy would definitely be reopening sectors in society part by part and going forward with proper hygiene.
This is what America will be doing shortly, at least we will get to see how it works out there they will be the guinea pigs for this experiment. I trust that Dr Deborah Birx knows what she is doing.

[pugboy]

so the person from warrenville or williamsville?
warrenville have a huge vene population

[rspann]

The one who died ? Williamsville ,Garth Rd.

[Chimera]

That's the businessman with the rolls Royce?

The one who died ? Williamsville ,Garth Rd.

[MaxPower]

i have a fever

i haven't left the house in three weeks, so i dont know what the firetruck

gonna stop posting now unless i end up in Caura or something dramatic happens on the news

Hello P.I,

What medication are you taking for the fever?

What symptoms?

[pugboy]

yuh better moh not in tuner
they go send police to pick u up and lock you away like ian alleyne

[Redress10]

So just a basic deduction timeline of Mr. Leon's movements... and to chook the discussion cause I bored

5th Feb - Mr. Leon Comes to T&T for Carnival
25th to 26th Feb - Carnival
6th March - He starts feeling ill
8th March - Very Ill
12th March - T&T's first COVID Confirmed Case
13th March - Leon Admitted to Couva Hospital
25th March - Mr Leon Died

Scenario 1 : Imported case - Possible incubation time = 21+ days incubation
Scenario 2 : Local Transmission (but from whom)

Possible Conclusions:

1. This was an imported case from a person that came in for Carnival. In that case it could be treated as isolated with or without no further transmission.

2. This was a locally transmission case that could result in other cases being present out there. But who did he contract it from since the first confirmed case was Imported (stressed alot by the authorities for the public's pacification) that was confirmed 6 days after Mr. Leon started feeling ill.

Now there is a paper written about outlier incubation periods of up to 27 days.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chin ... SKCN20G06W

I for one would prefer that this was an isolated imported case pre-carnival with a 20+ day incubation than a locally transmitted case.

Good information here: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavir ... od/#ref-11

He wouldn't have Covid for 6+ weeks...ppl who are dying with Covid are dying in week 3 etc on a ventilator. So it's basically a 3 week disease. If he had it when he came from NY then he would have passed away in late february and not late March. The timeline doesn't make sense.

That article abt 27+ days is anecdotal. Remember this...one of the earliest conditions for testing was people with a travel history. So if you have a travel period of 2 months, tests positive and you can't say where you got the disease then it becomes u "may" have contracted the disease 2 months ago when you travelled. The problem with that is there is nothing scientific backing it up. That is where these time periods come from. So that article about that person in China tells you nothing because that person can't know for sure how they got a disease.

What usually happens in order to get a scientific timeline is two things. One, people are actually intentionally infected with covid so that the effects can be studied and symptoms etc observed. This is done in a lab setting and also aids in making tests more specific. Another way to understand the timelines is by the doctors treating the disease and making specific observations based on patient's reaction to the disease. They would note what is occuring with the "majority". So when they say the incubtion period is 14 days you can believe them.

Imported doesn't mean that one person is solely responsible for all the infections. So he could have gotten it via someone who may have come to trinidad for let's say a period of 5 days infected him on day 2 and left trinidad by day 5. People come here for short stays all the time, business ppl especially. He could have interacted with other covid patients who would go on to test positive after him. You really can't tell. Just remember, if he was positive since early feb then he would have infected close friends and family members easily.

[sMASH]

i got two separate stories. one that the guy from williamsville that died, a woman from his same church died very quickly this week end gone, no details of the how, just that it happened kinda quickly. and another that some of a family had tested positive, but left to quarantine at home.

but, u cant act on hunches and rumor. the official data showing that we good. the couple cases that supposed to have epidimeocomfofoigohgol tracing going on with them, we never got the results of those investigations.
the #115 case, is very interesting as it is far away from any flight history. that should have only occurred in one of the quarantine zones.

[redmanjp]

i have a fever

i haven't left the house in three weeks, so i dont know what the firetruck

gonna stop posting now unless i end up in Caura or something dramatic happens on the news

take some Vitamin D supplements or get some sun (more depending on how dark your skin is)

monitor your breathing- if u start to get shortness of breath is hospital u need to go.

[redmanjp]

This might be a good idea to have to monitor blood oxygen levels- if levels drop below 95 it could be covid. below 90 is hospital

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082NHTCHN/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3IFP8EO3XC1FM&psc=1

[FrankChag]

Disclaimer, i'm not an md, but Don't panic johnny .. Fever is the sign of an infection, yes, but that can literally be anything, like the common flu, or maybe mold in your A/C. Don't panic. A few weeks ago same thing happening with me, WITH SHORTNESS OF BREATH, and I was home already for 3 weeks.. went to the health center in a panic and it turns out that my acid reflux (probably from worrying/stress) caused a chest BACTERIAL infection in my lungs, and I got antibiotics, and it cleared up.. no covid, but same symptoms. Med students get this illness anxiety all the time.

But definitely, shortness of breath, oxygen levels below normal... got to the hospital or health centre and let them chk u to be sure.

i have a fever

i haven't left the house in three weeks, so i dont know what the firetruck

gonna stop posting now unless i end up in Caura or something dramatic happens on the news

take some Vitamin D supplements or get some sun (more depending on how dark your skin is)

monitor your breathing- if u start to get shortness of breath is hospital u need to go.