The positivity rate of the COVID-19 virus in the British Virgin Islands has raised a number of alarming concerns with the United States Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan.
Governor Bryan made that disclosure during a media briefing on Thursday July 15 where he revealed some new travel protocols that will be in effect on Monday July 19, for persons travelling to the USVI from the BVI.
Bryan said despite the USVI having a much larger population than the BVI, the numbers of active COVID-19 cases in the territory at once in the BVI had more than septuple the numbers in the USVI.
He said, “Right now, we are under full watch for what is going on in the British Virgin Islands. The current situation is not good, I’m not putting it lightly. As of last night, the British Virgin Islands reported having 1559 active cases. I want you to pay close attention to that number, because the most active cases we’ve ever had in the Virgin Islands is around 200 and we are three times the size of the British Virgin Islands.”
“And the last 24-hours they’ve reported three deaths and just like us they’re hospitals and their infrastructure and employees are affected. Over 100 of their hospital workers are either with COVID or quarantined because they may have been exposed to the virus. Their positivity rate for the last week and a half exceeds 17 percent compared to us in the Virgin Islands which is at 3 percent which is not that good either,” the governor explained.
Discussion being had to assist the BVI
Governor Bryan also said that he has been in discussions with the relevant authorities to give as much support as possible to the BVI.
“We are doing everything we can to help the British Virgin Islands. Premier Fahie, his Cabinet and all the people over there, I’ve been on the phone with the State Department, the delegate has been reaching out trying to get assistance from DC. They are a foreign port and it makes it extremely difficult for us to stand over any resources that we have. But we’re constantly talking to FEMA, the CDC and the Health and Human Services to see what assistance we can give our brothers and sisters over in the British Virgin Islands,” he stated.
Efforts being made to get the monoclonal antibody treatment for BVI
The USVI governor further said that his administration has been working on getting the monoclonal antibody treatment for the BVI, a treatment which is used in the USVI and the United States to treat positive COVID-19 patients.
He said, “We are fortunate to have the monoclonal antibody treatment which the British Virgin Islands doesn’t have, one of the things that we’re working on trying to get them that resource. That’s the treatment that you get if you go to the hospital and you have not been vaccinated, we’re able to give you that.”
“It helps your body immediately produce antibodies and fight against COVID. It’s not 100 percent and you still have to get the vaccine after you have that monoclonal antibody treatment cause it only lasts about two or three weeks,” he added.