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HomeNewsLocal newsTerritory Records 131st COVID Death Amid Slight Uptick in Cases

Territory Records 131st COVID Death Amid Slight Uptick in Cases

(Shutterstock image)
(Shutterstock image)

The territory reported its 131st COVID-related death on Monday — a 62-year-old St. Thomas woman — as the Health Department warned of a slight uptick in the number of active cases even as the public health emergency winds down as the virus becomes endemic.

Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion (Government House photo)

There are 10 active cases territory-wide — six on St. Croix, four on St. Thomas and none on St. John — and the positivity rate is at 3.3 percent, the department reported. The community is encouraged to become vaccinated and boosted against COVID while supplies are available, it said.

“We have been reporting that the public health emergency ends on May 11, however, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will extend important benefits to ensure continued access to the vaccine and treatment, as long as supplies last,” Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion said in a press release. “COVID-19 remains a public health priority; thus, the V.I. Department of Health will continue to provide the COVID vaccine to the community and in line with the U.S. DHH. This will continue free for as long as supplies last to everyone age 6 months or older.”

For information about the locations and times for vaccines, call 340-718-1311 on St. Croix, 340-774-7477 for adults on St. Thomas, and 340-777-8804, ext. 2600, for children on St. Thomas. On St. John, visit the V.I. Port Authority Gravel Lot, on Wednesdays, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Latest news reports have indicated that, once the public health emergency ends, the Centers for Disease Control will no longer monitor COVID in local communities, according to the release. However, the CDC has indicated it will not stop tracking COVID-19 and sharing data, but it will change the frequency of reporting and, vaccine administration data might be reduced in some areas, the department said.

“The V.I. Department of Health will continue to track and report active covid cases moving forward,” Encarnacion said. “Each state and territory gets to decide if COVID-19 remains reportable in their jurisdiction and for the USVI it will remain a reportable disease. Most states and territories are leaving it as reportable and will release their data just as they have been doing.”

As the territory nears the end of the public health emergency, the Health Department is shifting focus on the potential long-standing effects of COVID, it said. Medical communities describe the post COVID syndrome, known as “Long COVID,” as a multifaceted disease that can affect nearly every organ in the body. It is not one condition but instead, possibly several overlapping conditions, with different causes and with different sets of risk factors, the department said.

“Long COVID is described by the signs, symptoms, and conditions that persist beyond an active COVID case, or which develop long after recovery from an infection. There are currently about 200 symptoms that have been identified involving almost every part of the body. Long COVID symptoms can develop as much as four weeks after the initial phase of the infection as a brand-new onset chronic disease, including heart disease, diabetes, kidney, hematologic (blood) diseases or as mental and neurological conditions,” the release stated.

“These diseases can simultaneously involve multiple systems including cardiovascular, respiratory, or the nervous system,” Encarnacion said. “And, very important to know, the Long COVID symptoms can relapse and then reoccur with progressive worsening over time, leading to the possibility of severe and life-threatening episodes sometimes months or years after infection.”

The department will be tracking the cases of Long COVID in the territory and providing support to the providers as recommendations are developed.

The department said anyone experiencing persistent symptoms after having a COVID infection should report this to their doctor. Becoming vaccinated against COVID-19 and remaining up to date with the current booster recommendations is the best protection against developing Long COVID, it said.

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