ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA RECORDS FIRST COVID-19-RELATED DEATH; CONFIRMED CASES UP TO 19

Antigua and Barbuda has recorded its first fatality as a result of Covid 19.

The 46 year old man, whom health officials declined to name, died at the Mount St. John’s Medical Center on Saturday, the same day he was admitted there with symptoms of the disease. Health officials told a news conference on Tuesday afternoon the man had also been suffering from diabetes mellitus, a pre-existing condition which had placed him at greater risk. A sample was taken from him before he died and sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency, CARPHA along with samples from 16 other individuals.

5 of the 17 samples returned positive and the others negative. One of the 5 positive results was from a third test on the country’s first COVID-19 patient. This means there were 4 new cases, pushing the country’s COVID-19 total total to 19.

Meanwhile, 6 of the 18 people suffering from the disease are now at the Mount St John’s Medical Center, with 4 of those on ventilators. At least 5 more samples are to be sent off for testing on Wednesday.