Health authorities are seeking the cooperation of clients to facilitate contact-tracing in fighting the deadly COVID-19 contagion.
Director of Primary Healthcare Services, Dr. Laura Esprit, said during a recent press briefing that the Contact-Tracing and Sampling Committee continues to work tirelessly to ensure that all contacts of confirmed cases are tested. However, she said lack of cooperation can hamper the process.
Dominica has so far reported 15 confirmed cases of Covid-19.
“The process is hampered and becomes more challenging for the committee when the client is not cooperative or if the client is not found,” Dr. Esprit said. “[There’s] verbal abuse from clients to Ministry of Health officials when efforts are made to provide information as to the possibility of being a contact.”
She said the contact-tracers could also face another hurdle if the client refuses to remain in quarantine upon being informed that he or she may be a potential contact and while he or she awaits test results.
What could also be problematic, Dr. Esprit said is if the family is in denial and advises against instructions given by the Ministry of Health after a case has been confirmed.
She said sometimes cooperative clients are negatively influenced by family and community members.
In this regard, Dr. Esprit delivered a strong appeal on behalf of the Contact-tracing Committee to families and community members.
“Please do not ignore your telephone if there is a strange number calling. Do not be verbally abusive when contacted and identified by health officials,” she advised. “Do not discriminate against a community member who you may suspect to have had the virus or have the virus. Avoid taking and circulating videos on social media, of clients being picked up by the ambulance. Let’s each respect others privacy.”
Dr. Esprit stressed the health protection benefit of being tested, given the short supply of sampling kits globally, and explained that the process of contact-tracing can be most efficient when certain factors are considered.
“If the client is cooperative with the health team, if the client follows instructions given for quarantine and self-isolation and if the client can readily provide a list of contacts that may have been exposed within a specified period,” she noted. “That makes the job easier.”
Medical Internist at the Dominica- China Friendship Hospital (DCFH), Dr. Portia Meade said all of the patients in the isolation unit who are confirmed with the COVID-19 disease are presently stable and improving gradually.
“None has required any mechanical ventilation,” she revealed.
Dr. Meade thanked the public for cooperating with medical officials at the screening sites and all Dominicans for assisting the country in striving to put an end to this dreaded disease.
Below are the latest COVID-19 numbers for Dominica.
I understand Dr. Esprit and the battle they are having with contact tracing especially with our small population where everyone knows everybody and a culture where we don’t respect people’s privacy.
Another thing that could affect contact tracing is that of class, financial status, and popularity. We are not all treated alike and when a poor man sees how they will send him/ or her to quarantine if they were in contact with confirmed case and will treat someone that is in a higher class much different by having them to self quarantine at home, that could be a problem. Let’s say for example, if someoneboy say from China landed in Dominica and was not tested at the airport and next thing we see him next day with PM and no one says anything, then later let’s say we see pm avoiding crowds and no one tells us if he was tested or not. Night time while we on lockdown we see him in a car with his girl, and when it’s a poor boy as soon as they land they take them to the quarantine
When are people going to wise up and see this whole thing for what it really is?