There is a reason why most of the Covid-19 samples sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) return positive results when compared to those tested at Mount St John’s Medical Centre.
The government’s pathologist Dr Lester Simon yesterday provided an explanation for what some members of the public have viewed as a disparity.
“The ones we send to CARPHA are largely the ones derived from contact tracing and that’s where you are going to find the positives. Those are the larger numbers,” Simon stated.
He explained that the bulk of tests conducted at the hospital are for people wishing to travel overseas and patients scheduled for elective surgeries.
The medical official said that, as of this week, any positive results recorded at the local hospital will be reported as such, without the information being sent to the Trinidad-based agency.
To date, Antigua and Barbuda has recorded 112 laboratory confirmed cases of the virus, nine of which are active.