The Delta Variant Is Expanding In The Caribbean

By NAN Staff Writer

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Aug. 13, 2021: The feared Delta variant of the coronavirus, COVID-19, is not only in the Caribbean but increasing, especially in the French and Dutch Caribbean islands.

Grenada is the latest country to confirm the presence of the variant. Officials there on Thursday confirmed that three of the COVID-19 cases recorded there, marking the first confirmed cases of that variant in the Spice Island.

The three were a 48-year-old male returning national and two non-nationals – a 33-year-old female and a 34-year-old male – who arrived in the island from the United States last month. One of the three people was vaccinated, the ministry said.

The news comes a day after Trinidad and Tobago health authorities on Wednesday confirmed that the country had registered two cases of the Delta variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said that the first patient is a recently returned national who travelled to Trinidad from the United States, while the second patient had arrived here after travelling from Mexico, transiting through Panama and Guyana.

Data tracked by Statistica show the variant is also in the Dominican Republic as well as Anguilla, Barbados, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Bonaire, French Guiana, Sint Maarten, Curacao and Aruba.

The total estimated total as of August 12th was 190.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there have been confirmed cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19 in 142 countries.

Research has suggested that the Delta variant is more easily spread from person to person as compared to previous variants (estimated to be two to four times more transmissible than the original Wuhan lineage of the virus.

Globally, there have been 204,644,849 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 4,323,139 deaths, reported to WHO. Of that number, 79,380,211 cases are in the Americas. As of August, 122021, a total of 4,428,168,759 vaccine doses have been administered.