St Vincent: 17 new COVID-19 cases reported at emergency shelters

As St Vincent and the Grenadines is fighting to tackle the crisis caused by natural calamity, another challenge is emerging for the island country. New coronavirus cases are being recorded every day at the emergency shelters. The ministry of health has reported 17 COVID-19 cases at emergency shelters where thousands of people are residing since the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano on April 9, 2021. Earlier, the government had shown concerns of a likely outbreak at shelters as people fear these evacuation centres might become new virus hotspots in the country.

The health ministry reported that over 204 samples were taken for testing on May 6, 2021, while only 17 tested positive for the coronavirus. The positivity rate as per the sample collected is considered to be around only nine percent.

The ministry reported that no new coronavirus recoveries had been reported that currently, 159 cases are active. Twelve people have also died of COVID-19.

Over 1941, people have tested positive for coronavirus in St Vincent and the Grenadines, while 1741 successfully recovered from the contagious virus since March 2020.

The risk of virus-outbreak at evacuation centres is expected to decrease as the government has reduced the volcanic alert from red to orange. The reduction in alert has allowed people from orange zones to return to their homes and resume their daily routine lives. This would lower the burden on the evacuation centres, and the threat of virus outbreak will eventually come down. More than 20,000 individuals were displaced from their homes in St Vincent and the Grenadines after Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has given immediate orders of evacuation from areas near the La Soufriere volcano. It has been more than seven days since the last eruptions were reported in the La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent; however, the government have advised people not to go near the volcano, and only authorities with essential work are permitted to get in close proximity.