December has become the deadliest and most infectious month for the pandemic, not just for 2021 but for the pandemic to date. On the last day of 2021, December 31 the country recorded 19 more COVID-19 deaths, pushing the death toll then to 2,869, and of these deaths, 711 occurred in December.
December has recorded 20,538 cases making it the highest monthly total to date.
Since March 2020, one in every 16 people has tested positive for COVID-19 in Trinidad and Tobago, with one in 500 people succumbing to the disease. The seven-day rolling average for deaths has fluctuated between 20 and 27 deaths per day, and it presently stands at 22 COVID-19 deaths on average per day. This morbid statistic means, on average, the country is losing someone to the disease every hour.
While deaths are still heavily skewed towards the elderly, with those over 60 accounting for nearly two-thirds of the COVID-19 fatalities, December saw an increase in paediatric COVID-19 deaths in the country. To date, T&T has recorded nine deaths amongst children, all occurring in 2021 – one teenaged male, four teenaged females, two male children, one female child, and one female newborn. Five of these paediatric deaths occurred in December 2021.
However, infections continue to be driven by those under the age of 59 – the young and the middle-aged, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t susceptible to severe outcomes. Based on the epidemiological update presented by Dr Avery Hinds on December 20, adults below age 59 make up 82.8 per cent of COVID-19 infections. However, this expansive age group accounts for 34.9 percent of total COVID-19 deaths. Since May 1, 2021, of the 2,700 deaths tracked by Guardian Media, 923 were aged below 59 and above 18.
Doctors and health officials have repeatedly warned the elderly (those above age 60) and people with hypertension, diabetes, and kidney disease are at high risk. Nationally, Trinidad and Tobago has a very high prevalence of non-communicable diseases, noting diabetes, hypertension, asthma, cancer, obesity, and heart disease.
It should still be noted, the country has recorded several people without comorbidities also succumbing to COVID-19.
Unvaccinated most at risk
However, this is still primarily a pandemic of unvaccinated individuals. From July 22, 2021, to December 15, 2021, the Ministry of Health has been tracking the vaccination status of those admitted into the parallel healthcare system. During that period, 86.8 per cent of patients admitted to the parallel healthcare system have not been fully vaccinated, accounting for 8,973 of 10,336 patients. Additionally, as of December 15, according to the CMO, between 95 and 96 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in T&T have been among the unvaccinated.
The country experienced two major surges of COVID-19 in 2021. The first was spurred by the rise of the Gamma COVID-19 variant of concern in April through June. However, its latest fight against both the Delta and Omicron COVID-19 variants of concern has proved to be the most challenging yet. 2021 is ending with 557 Gamma, 505 Delta, and 11 Omicron cases that have been sequenced but at different points in the year.
Both the Gamma and Delta variants became the dominant strains of the virus deeply engrained in the community. Active cases peaked at 16,841 on December 26, where at least one in every 85 people was considered an active case in the country when Delta was at its peak.
2021 has also been the year where vaccines became freely available and administered. The country has given out over 1.4 million doses to date. However, vaccinations have remarkably slowed down compared to the August-September peak, where the country was administering up to 18,000 doses per day on average. In December, the peak average doses administered daily was at 3,776.
As 2022 gets underway, Trinidad and Tobago is drowning in COVID-19 by all metrics in this latest wave. Active cases, rolling averages for daily cases and daily deaths, COVID-19 hospital occupancy, accident and emergency occupancy for COVID-19 patients, positivity, and ambulance utilization for COVID-19 patients are all at or reached pandemic highs.
In addition to vaccinations, there are tried, tested, and proven ways to avoid becoming a part of the harrowing statistics, whether it is a case, a hospitalization, or worse, a death. It is even more imperative that we enact some personal responsibility. Wear a mask, wash your hands, and watch your distance in 2022.
