CARICOM to hold emergency coronavirus meeting
Published:Monday | February 3, 2020 | 12:18 AM
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC):
Health ministers from across the region will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss issues related to the coronavirus, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has now classified as a public health Emergency of international concern.
The meeting of the CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development (Health), which will also be attended by other senior health and security officials, will provide updates on regional plans.
According to the World Health Organization, the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus worldwide is now 14,557, most of which are in China – and the death toll has risen to at least 304.
The Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency says that while there has been no regional confirmed cases of the virus, it is monitoring developments and working closely with its international health partners to respond to this health threat.
CARPHA said in the event that there is a suspected imported case in the region, it has already made arrangements with partner public health agencies for testing “within the next three weeks, while we await delivery of necessary supplies”.