Although the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in a person with no recent travel history or recent contact with a COVID-19 positive person, the Ministry of Health says it does not yet have evidence that the variant has reached community spread.
Speaking during the Ministry of Heath’s COVID-19 briefing on Monday, Hinds said the Ministry does not have data or evidence to state that Omicron is spreading at the community level through the population.
On Sunday, the Ministry announced that one of two new cases of the variant discovered in T&T had no travel history or contact with a COVID-19 positive person.
So far, there have been a total of five detected cases of the Omicron variant in T&T, the first being a fully vaccinated woman who returned to T&T from New York via Panama.
The woman boarded the flight from New York with a positive PCR test and left Panama for T&T with a negative antigen test. An investigation has since been launched and the woman is expected to be charged for breaching the travel pass.
Reporter: Sharlene Rampersad
