The Ministry of Health and Wellness has reported only one new case of COVID-19 in Barbados today, after 16 suspected cases were tested by the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory yesterday.
This brings the total number of cases of COVID-19 in Barbados to 18, as of today, Tuesday, March 24.
A widely circulated message on social media today, purporting to originate from a local media house, falsely quoted Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic, as having said that there were now 29 cases of the viral illness locally.
The media house has issued a public statement denying being the source of the false information and Lt. Col. Bostic has made it clear that he did not provide any such information to anyone.
The matter has been reported to the Royal Barbados Police Force as a breach of the Computer Misuse Act, and is being investigated.
Meanwhile, contact tracing, in respect of the newly-diagnosed case related to a 36-year-old man, has begun to identify all those with whom he would have been in close contact.