Manager of Isolation Facilities, Dr. Corey Forde, has given an update on the condition of patients in the COVID-19 isolation facilities.
Speaking during a televised press conference today, the Infectious Disease Specialist said patients under care at the isolation facilities at Blackman and Gollop and Dodds were stable and doing well.
He also reported that patients in the tertiary and secondary units at Harrison Point were doing well, while in the primary isolation unit – the area for the most critically ill – there were currently nine patients – seven Barbadians, one Trinidadian and Guyanese national each.
Dr. Forde said there are three males and six females, ranging from age 41 to 63, with two of them now ventilated.
He further explained: “What that means is that there are on life support for oxygen. One of those individuals is one that I would have spoken to you about before. This is a 45-year-old Trinidadian female, who has multiple co-morbidities and remains quite ill … and critically ill from our perspective, and she’s on dialysis. She is a dialysis patient previously. The other is a new one, and this particular time is a Barbadian, and she is 48 years old and she has hypertension and diabetes, as chronic illnesses; she is actually very critically ill at this point. The remaining five individuals are actually on oxygen.”
The Infectious Disease Specialist was pleased to report to the nation about a patient who had been critically ill, but was now moving around with minimum oxygen.
“Remember, I spoke to you on several occasions about a Barbadian national, who resides in the USA, who came back, and I would like to tell the public today that with the help of God and the hard work of the staff there and the ICU team, Dr. Lovell, Dr. Hassell, and with the assistance of Dr. George, … worked extremely hard with these patients and I would like to … report this morning that he has done quite well and walking around with a minimum amount of oxygen. This is a guy who was extremely ill, so that is very encouraging for us today in the country.”
Dr. Forde urged Barbadians to continue to follow the safety guidelines and thanked Barbadians for providing assistance to the Harrison Point Isolation Facility. He also praised the former patients who gave back.
“I encourage you as Barbadians, as I have always said at every single press conference, that it is our facility. We need to be proud of it and we need to contribute towards it in any way possible. There have been many clubs; there have been many individuals from 97 years old to much younger who have contributed, and I want to take the opportunity to encourage you to continue to support us as a facility, and to support the workers of the facility for the sort of work that they have been doing.”