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Coronavirus Back Story – Why Barbados is NOT Banning Travel from Affected Areas

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Barbados Underground

Barbados, W.I

Dear Sir/Madam

There was an article in your newspaper of 3 .February 2020 entitled: “Barbados not rushing to ban travellers from China.” The same message was also aired on radio. Mention was made about the statistical likelihood of an outbreak locally being under two percent. There was even mention of the fact that since 1967 there was no real impact on Barbados of the outbreak of contagious diseases. According to the aired news the local authorities were following the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. As the holder of a doctorate in microbiology and some one who has done post doctoral studies in the discipline, I have a few questions, which I want answered in the public interest.

According to the Center for Disease control and Prevention (CDC). the virus has an incubation period of two weeks. Infected person maybe asymptomatic during the two-week period. It was for this reason the USA instituted a ban on persons who had been exposed for less than two weeks entering its domain. The reason given for doing so was the logistics involved in screening for potential carriers. Let me explain.

Let us assume there is an asymptomatic carrier who has entered the Barbadian domain and is interacting with the locals. After realizing that there is an active carrier in Barbados, it is incumbent on the authorities to track down and screen all persons who have interacted with the carrier. If the carrier has interacted with one hundred persons, each person has to be screened. This only allows for interaction of the carrier with one hundred persons. Allowance also has to be made for the interaction of each member of the one-hundred with other people. As can be envisaged, the number of persons required to screen, dramatically increases to such an extent, that the screening process breaks down. It is for this reason that countries have introduced a ban on persons who come from infected areas. In the case illustrated above where would Barbados get the required trained persons to actively carry out screening?

There has been mention of the fact that Barbados is following the WHO guidelines. Is this the same WHO that was shown to be totally incompetent its handling of Ebola? What about the Haitian cholera outbreak? The latter was under the aegis of the United Nation of which WHO is a part. The best scientists in the field do not work for WHO; they are found in research institutions. The WHO like all other United Nations bodies are constrained by political realities of member states who push political objectives ahead of what the correct scientific should be. As far as I can make out, there seems to be a pecuniary method behind Barbados’s stance on this matter: namely an effort not to affect the tourist industry.

 

Sincerely

 

Robert D. Lucas, PH.D.

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734 responses to “Coronavirus Back Story – Why Barbados is NOT Banning Travel from Affected Areas”

  1. R.G Avatar
    R.G

    I think we will do a lot better if we were to concentrate on debating ideas rather than drifting in to personal insults and abuse, even if that is the Barbados way. {Quote}

    @ David BU

    You should really do a blog and use that quote as the topic.

  2. David Avatar
    David

    @Sargeant

    The PM is a politician. She knew by inserting herself media outlets would have carried it. Dr. Browne is a rookie MP with a bio as a country GP.

  3. David Avatar
    David

    @RG

    The blogmaster has the hide of Teflon.

  4. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    @David

    I may have provided an incorrect name for the “Doctor” it wasn’t the MP but the individual who is the ranking medical officer who was at the news conference and who should have been front and Centre in any dissemination of information

  5. David Avatar
    David

    @Sargeant

    Point noted. The reply is the same. The PM brought the value add that only her office can.

  6. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    Dr George

  7. Silly Woman Avatar
    Silly Woman

    @Hal Austin February 28, 2020 7:01 AM “It is nauseating when the president grabs the publicity, no matter the subject.”

    The only body who is nauseated is you. Tek some Andrews Salts to see if it wil settle your stomach.

    David sorry for using your blog to advertise a product.

  8. Silly Woman Avatar
    Silly Woman

    I have a fried who is a geneticist. Back when HIV?\/AIDS was all the talk he said that this is what worries geneticists when they wake up at 2 a.m.

    A disease which is as casually transmissable as the common cold. HIV is not it.

    And which has a high kill rate. At 2% COVID-19 is not it, not yet.

    And he predicted that it would likely be zoonotic, that is travel from animal to human, then from human to human.

    Capable of killing half of the world’s population in a generation or two, like how measles killed half of the indigenous population of the Americas in about 50 years. Those were real people too with feelings and families too.

    I don’t know why we humans insist in finding new ways to kill each other.

    Mother Nature has UNLIMITED ways of shaking every one of us off the face of the globe.

    We should all be spending money of disease prevention, but instead like the idiots we are we insist on spending money on weapons.

    Well let us see how well a nuclear bomb words on viruses…our greatest enemy.

  9. Silly Woman Avatar
    Silly Woman

    Walls and regulations can keep “dirty, stupid, appallingly ignorant , incompetent, learned by rote, foreigners” out, but how well do they work to keep viruses out?

  10. Silly Woman Avatar
    Silly Woman

    The Daily Mail reported yesterday that the NHS may not be able to treat elderly people, especially those who already have preexisting conditions is this thing becomes bad enough.

    Hoping that this nasty is like SARS which was controlled and which then “disappeared” when the warm weather came.

    Hoping that this thing hates Vitamin D which comes from plentiful sunshine.

  11. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    The Mailonline is not the Daily Mail.

  12. Silly Woman Avatar
    Silly Woman

    Every country which this thing touches, and it looks like it might touch every country will be challenged.

  13. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Interesting and very observant
    Fb page Rodney Hinds

    The passenger log for the carnival states there are over 5000 people on it Barbados have done testing on that number of people in 4 hours when the develop countries of the world with all of the resources struggling to do 100 in 24 hours America the richest country in the world have a shortage of testing kits so my questions to this government be how muck people were tested on that ship ? How many testing kits were use ? And how much more testing kits we have left ?

  14. David Avatar
    David

    Was it not a case of a suspected crew member quarantined and therefore one the test for the virus was clear it meant there was no need test all passengers. The blogmaster is willing to be corrected.

  15. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    ” Since the outbreak of the coronavirus (Covid-19) last December, Barbados has quarantined about 65 people who arrived from China.

    Minister of Health and Wellness Jeffrey Bostic said they had been screened and home quarantined, and most were eventually released”

    https://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/244106/65-quarantined-bostic

  16. Hal Austin Avatar
    Hal Austin

    MOST…….??????? What are they not telling the people? The first principle in journalism, never believe official explanations. Remember Colin Powell and the weapons of mass destruction.

  17. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    A “ Communications Strategy” that includes boarding a ship accompanied by a bevy of Ministers to announce to the passengers that the ship was cleared and they were free to disembark. Note that the Bajan contingent on board was said to be 37 out of a complement of 5000. Did that announcement require a midnight address to the passengers by the PM?

    Wunnah could see in the words of the former BWA media strategist the “viral” video that is being circulated.

  18. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Scientific findings states that the virus can hibernate for more than 14days and its is virtually impossible to detect with certainty that people having negative results are free of the virus
    Reason why people who have been in close contact with symptomatic persons should be quarantined
    One can bet that govt officials before boarding that ship was tested and will be screened thorough out the hibernation period for any symptoms
    The virus is one of a kind that is not easily detectable by screening during the hibernation period

  19. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    ImagePharmaceutical Technology › news
    Coronavirus incubation period could be 27 days, shows data
    6 days ago · The incubation period of the novel COvid-19 coronavirus could be as long as 27 days, noted Reuters citing reports from Chinese provincial government. In Hubei province, hard-hit by the coronavirus epidemic, an infected 70-year-old man did not exhibit Covid-19 symptoms until 27 …

  20. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    The only continent not impacted is Antarctica. Countries with weak Public Health systems ( see most of Africa) are most at risk, so how strong is Barbados’ Public health system?

  21. David Avatar
    David

    @ Sargeant

    Using your point what can Barbados do to prevent the virus entering Barbados that the US, UK and the rest of the developed world have been unable to do?

    >

  22. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ Sargeant,

    Government ministers love photo ops.

    The PM is very photogenic.

    Before you forget….. Barbados is Utopia.

  23. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    @David

    AllI am asking is whether we have a robust PHS system to handle the virus if/when it comes. I have heard the speeches and the assurances but those countries are struggling so if you want to whistle past the graveyard be my guest.

    BTW I am watching CBC viewing the PM aboard Fascination

  24. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Barbados cannot do anything from stopping the virus from entering the country
    But govt can sure as hell be vanguard in the advocacy of not inviting trouble
    The fact that big international countries have step up in prevention methods should have been enough for the govt of barbados to follow right behind without failure
    But No! up to present time barbados govt is still being lackadaisical in efforts sending out messages and signals which seems confusing and disconnected to what is being said about the virus in international media outlets
    Media outlets that have seasoned reporters up close and personnel to and in those countries that have been affected by the virus
    Exhibit one was govt stubbornness in allowing chinese to enter the country even when govt did not have the proper testing (and public was not told about lack of testing equipment)
    Now reports are stating that the virus can develop and hibernate longer in the body than was earlier stated
    In the event a person has the virus expecting govt truthfulness would be slim to none
    Once the horse has bolted return the horse to stable is virtually impossible

  25. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ Sargeant and CanBajans,

    Coronaviruses
    Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious respiratory infections like bronchitis, pneumonia or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

    Coronaviruses are spread mainly from person to person through close contact, for example, in a household, workplace or health care centre.

    Some human coronaviruses spread easily between people, while others do not.

    Your risk of severe disease may be higher if you have a weakened immune system. This may be the case for:

    older people
    people with chronic disease (for example, diabetes, cancer, heart, renal or chronic lung disease)
    The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
    The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) causes a respiratory infection that originated in Wuhan, China.

    The first presumptive case of this infection in Ontario was identified on January 25, 2020.

    https://www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus

  26. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    How come the results came back so quick
    When it is scientifically stated the results can take weeks
    Seems like barbados is world ahead in quickening the results for the Corona virus while medical experts are still scratching their heads exacting the hibernation period

  27. Dishonest Bajans Avatar
    Dishonest Bajans

    How come the results came back so quick
    When it is scientifically stated the results can take weeks
    Seems like barbados is world ahead in quickening the results for the Corona virus while medical experts are still scratching their heads exacting the hibernation period
    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    PUNCHING ABOVE THEIR WEIGHT IN DECEPTION AND TRICKERY.

  28. Piece the Legend Avatar
    Piece the Legend

    @ Mariposa aka Many*****

    You is a next one dat want banning!

    Look at you

    “…How come the results came back so quick
    When it is scientifically stated the results can take weeks

    Seems like barbados is world’s ahead in ascertaining the results for the Corona virus while global medical experts, ESPECIALLY THE CDC are still scratching their heads establishing the hibernation period…”

    De ole man correct some of your text for you Mariposa

    Some days girl, you does be so right dat de ole man does got to agree wid you.

    DUPPY DUST!

    MUGABE is using a duppy dust procedure using de black belly sheep she carry Africa which allows her VISION ABOVE VISION to see which infected.

    Some will say dat Piece the Legend is being doan-carish but, when you look at this belligerent attitude of TOURISM IS WE BUSINESS AND WE DONT GIVE RH BOUT CORONAVIRUS! All we can do is try to laugh at this stoopidness

    She got a budget to manufacture so 5,000 infected tourist going mek it happen.

    When the first deaths come that will show people how uncaring her government is.

    And that will herald in her one term Government

    De ole man has spoken!

  29. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Funny the media in barbados does not have any reporting skills that can weed out the deceptive methods used by govt to fool people

    PUNCHING ABOVE THEIR WEIGHT IN DECEPTION AND TRICKERY.

  30. Tron Avatar
    Tron

    I think it is magnificent that we have a leader who not only tells the people that she cares about them, but who also acts accordingly.

    She did the right thing last year with the monster hurricane, and now she’s doing the right thing again. I remember very well how the vipers of the opposition sprayed their poison during the hurricane, until the hurricane over the Bahamas showed its true power.

    Thank you, Goddess Bim, for allowing us to live under Mia Mottley´s reign.

  31. David Avatar
    David

    How long does it take to complete a test if you have the test kit? Barbados has the test kit right?

  32. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Google ” coronavirus update “

  33. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    But David here is a govt that never told the public how many people on the island were quarantined and also never told the public that the country did not have the kits for screening the virus all at a time when the virus was in full flight of killing and affecting the Chinese people yet govt boldly stated having no ban on the chinese people
    Now Mia in the dead of night tells the country “folks dont worry all is clean”
    How can anyone belive Mia mouthings as to what took place on that Cruise liner after the many months of lies and deceptive practices she had thrown out in the public sphere
    One can bet that all the govt officials who participated in the testing of these individuals and those barbadians who were on the ship will be continuously monitored throughout the period known as “hibernation”
    Also according to recent reports from leading medical scientist the virus seems to have a varying mind of its own
    Btw food for thought mask are a rare specialty/commodity to access and if so the prices are very high

  34. David Avatar
    David

    When were the test kits made available to countries? When did Barbados order receive the kits?

    >

  35. Silly Woman Avatar
    Silly Woman

    @Mariposa February 29, 2020 6:05 AM “the period known as “hibernation””

    Incubation NOT hibernation

    Incubation=Incubation period: In medicine, the time from the moment of exposure to an infectious agent until signs and symptoms of the disease appear.

    Hibernation=Hibernation is a way animals conserve energy to survive adverse weather conditions or lack of food. It involves physiological changes such as a drop in body temperature and slowed metabolism.

    For example some people might say that for the past almost 2 years Froon was i hibernation.

  36. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Barbados made known about receiving orders for the kits early feb months after the virus was known to be affecting people and while barbados had earlier stated within that period letting the chinese people in the country
    The long and short of the story as it evolves shows that barbados took a narrow perspective not fully knowing the causes also unprepared to do testing while allowing the most vulnerable people to enter the country
    Tell are those not a reason to be cautious of govt utterances going forward on the virus

  37. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    The seriousness of the corona virus baffles confuses and overwhelms many brilliant minds in the medical field and here barbados PM sets out to take photo ops in Maverick style on a cruise liner having over 5000 people many of whom were not tested for the virus but gave cause for concern
    Fool or Maverick u be the judge

  38. David Avatar
    David

    @Simple Simon

    Have you been following the story about people who were cleared and then tested positive for a second time? There is the fear caronavirus could have a latent component.

  39. Silly Woman Avatar
    Silly Woman

    Yes I have.

  40. Silly Woman Avatar
    Silly Woman

    Once I had mononucleosis and I received false negative lab results for 9 weeks even while i was as sick as a dog and had lost 27 pounds before the lab results finally said positive. Those labs were in a first world country. So “yes” I know that viruses can be “funny”, not ha-ha funny though.

    I mean a 27 pound weight loss in a person who weighed barely 150 pounds to begin with is a very significant weight loss. I knew that i was sick. My doctor knew that i was sick, because he had been my doctor for nearly a decade and he knew that i was no malingerer. But the labs kept saying nothing detected. They were testing for everything that is likely to cause a significant weight loss including diabetes and HIV because that was more than 30 years ago. But no diabetes, no HIV detected either.

  41. David Avatar
    David

    Looks like Barbados has a website to keep the public in the loop.

    https://gisbarbados.gov.bb/covid-19/

  42. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    The boss lady front and centre.

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2020/02/29/caricom-heads-to-hold-important-meeting-in-barbados-on-covid-19/

  43. David Avatar
    David

    Grenada ramping up.

    http://www.loopnewsbarbados.com/content/grenada-raises-covid-19-public-health-threat-level-high-4

  44. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    Soooooo…. what you people are suggesting is that the authorities, not being in possession of test results just let lose possible cases of the virus in an attempt to do what? Save the tourism industry??????? And that makes sense how exactly? I would have thought that it would be better to halt one tourist liner and keep the virus out of the island. But I guess I am just gullible that way.

    Look, the people are doing the best that can be done in the circumstances. Our problems started way back when we put all our eggs in one basket. We shall see if this scare ignites a spark of common sense not only in politicians but the general populace. Or maybe we like to live on the edge, moaning, groaning and scared shitless. ( Well some of YOU anyway. Not me.)

  45. David Avatar
    David

    First reported caronavirus death in the USA.

  46. Donna Avatar
    Donna

    That should be let “loose’ above.

  47. Silly Woman Avatar
    Silly Woman

    CDC COVID-19 Press conference 29 February, 2020 at 3 p.m.
    https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/a0229-COVID-19-update.html

  48. Silly Woman Avatar
    Silly Woman

    https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
    Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

  49. fortyacresandamule Avatar
    fortyacresandamule

    Human beings, just another great ape, and the worst of nature’s creation. Maybe the coronavirus is nature’s revenge to wipe us off the surface of the earth. To finish what the bubonic plague couldn’t accomplish.

  50. Mariposa Avatar
    Mariposa

    Antigua Observer

    Spread the love
    (SNO) – Three cases of the feared coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in the French island of St. Barthélemy (St. Barts) and French Saint Martin, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) has reported.

    The cases were confirmed by the Institut Pasteur Laboratory of Guadeloupe which is conducting tests for the virus.

    The case involves a resident of St. Barthélemy and his visiting relatives, the Agence Régionale de Santé (ARS) confirmed in a press release on Sunday.

    Reports are that the person is confined at home in St. Barthélemy and under daily surveillance but his health is not of concern to authorities.

    His parents are isolated in the Louis-Constant Fleming Hospital in French Saint Martin and are being closely monitored.

    Their health is also not of concern, French authorities s aid.

    According to the AFP, on Friday, the parents of the person from St. Barthélemy were leaving for Paris from Juliana international airport (located on the Dutch side of Saint Martin) when they were handed over to the French authorities because they presented symptoms of the coronavirus.

    The laboratory in Guadeloupe confirmed that they were positive.

    The couple had come to visit their son, who lives in Saint-Barthélemy.

    The AFP is also reporting that there two other possible cases of the virus in Saint-Martin.

    Samples are presently being processed

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