(Trinidad Guardian) Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is said to be “holding his own” after testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday.
Rowley experienced flu-like symptoms on Monday and was subsequently tested for COVID-19, with the test coming back positive.
Yesterday, Rowley was said to be in isolation and under medical supervision at an undisclosed location in Tobago.
The PM’s positive COVID test came on the day when the long-awaited national vaccine rollout began, when Rowley himself was initially scheduled to be vaccinated.
Yesterday, however, Rowley assured Guardian Media that none of his Cabinet Ministers had been exposed to the virus, at least not by him.
“I have not been in the presence of any Minister for the last two weeks,” Rowley told Guardian Media in response to questions about other Cabinet ministers possibly being exposed.
Rowley was, however, at a news conference with Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh last Tuesday, when he warned the country that there could be another lockdown if the spike in numbers of COVID cases continued.
Deyalsingh received his scheduled AstraZeneca jab yesterday, as did President Paula-Mae Weekes and her 92-year-old mother.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Health reported 22 new COVID cases. The PM was one of those new cases.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram said yesterday that according to World Health Organization protocols, Rowley will now have to wait up to six months before being inoculated because of his infection.
Government sources yesterday said Rowley had spoken to some people yesterday morning, had sounded strong and was “holding his own.”
The Office of the Prime Minister announced his positive test yesterday morning. His illness followed a recent surge in COVID cases across the country.
Noting the situation and information that many people were planning Easter holiday-making and Tobago was due to experience large numbers of visitors for the Easter weekend, Rowley had last week told citizens to follow COVID protocols, saying “You have been warned!”
