Trinidad records first case of Omicron after COVID-19 positive woman travels from NY

The unidentified woman reportedly traveled to Panama before arriving at the Piarco International Airport.

“On Monday, 13th December, this morning, we detected our first case of Omicron variant of concern. It is a female, and that's as much as I can say. It is an imported case,” Deyalsingh told reporters Monday.

“This person came into Trinidad and Tobago. The flight originated in New York, and this is the disturbing part. In New York, the person was allowed to board a flight with a positive PCR test. The person then traveled to Panama where they presented a negative antigen test.”

The minister said steps would be taken to ensure both the passenger and the airline face some consequences.

“We will be providing to the Minister of National Security, the person's name, the airline because they have some liability in this, and the person for doing what they did. Luckily our Trinidad Port Health picked up the fact that this person was allowed to board with a positive PCR test,” Deyalsingh said.

He congratulated port health officers for identifying the breach in their passenger screening.

“The person was immediately isolated …and continues to be isolated,” Deyalsingh added.

In keeping with international protocols, the 14 people in a two-row radius in the airplane have been contacted, isolated at home, and are being monitored.

Meantime, the minister said there had been an increase in children being hospitalized with the coronavirus.

“We have seen more and more children coming into our ICUs (Intensive Care Units) and the majority of those children, some have comorbidities…but one of the common features is the unwillingness of their parents to be vaccinated because they don't believe in vaccinations,” he stated.

Deyalsingh added that the “pandemic of the unvaccinated is truly getting very deep roots in Trinidad and Tobago.”