By George Alleyne
As of Monday evening a
total of nine Barbadians had
died of the new coronavirus
(COVID-19) in just over a week
in New York and other American
states.
“It is devastating,” the Barbados
Nation newspaper quoted
the island’s Consul General
to New York, Mackie Holder,
saying. “Several people on the
phone are just bawling. The Barbadian
community is in grief.”
“This is really tough especially
when you know the people
involved,” he added, emphasizing
that the Barbadian community,
especially the one in
New York, is close knit.
According to the Nation, two
of the five persons who died
yesterday were Anthony Hall,
secretary of the Barbados Ex-
Policemen’s Association, and
Marlene Hinds, president of the
Barbados group at St. Gabriel’s
Church in Brooklyn.
More grief is possible as Holder
told Barbados TODAY newspaper,
Caribbean L 6 ife, April 10-16, 2020
“there are also quite a
few Barbadians who are in various
stages of protocols, some
are in self quarantine, some are
getting treatment, one or two
are in the hospital”.
Meanwhile on the island,
a 95-year-old Barbadian died
on Tuesday taking the tally to
three COVID-19 deaths in Barbados,
with 63 known infections,
from 602 tests.
On Sunday an 81-year-old
man became the island’s first
fatality, and while a 74-year-old
male died Monday.
A 78-year-old woman,
another at age 56, along with
a 53-year-old man are all critically
ill.
The Ministry of Health’s Isolation
Facilities Manager, Dr
Corey Forde, said the deaths
and infections are all imported
in nature stemming from Barbadians
who returned to the
island and subsequently made
physical contact with local relatives
and other residents.
“We still have no clear evidence
of community transmission
at this stage,” he said, adding,
“the majority of people with
the virus continue to be linked
to travel outside of Barbados
and returning to the country
between March 15 and present”.
Authorities are having to put
extra-ordinary efforts in contact
tracing of all persons who
came into close proximity of
infected returning nationals.
Though the death rate for a
population that hovers around
295,000 is relatively low there
is a level of unease in Barbados
because of an unusually
high number of elderly resident
citizens, many afflicted by noncommunicable
diseases.
“Persons who are above the
age of 60 and certainly above
the age of 65 are at increased
risk of death when they contract
COVID-19,” said Dr Forde.
“This is then complicated by
the fact that we know that people
with hypertension, people
with diabetes, people with cancers
… these individuals are at
increased risk of getting complications
and death associated
Barbados’ Ministry of HealthÕs Isolation Facilities Manager,
Dr. Corey Forde. Photo by George Alleyne
with COVID-19”.
Forde said the third death
showed that the worrisome
position of elderly persons with
pre-existing conditions have
the potential to affect Barbados’
Coronavirus numbers.
“The 95-year-old had been
extremely unwell when he presented
to us. He died around
3 a.m. in one of our isolation
centres.”
The doctor explained that
the man had suffered from diabetes,
and contracted the infection
from his daughter, who
recently arrived from the United
States.
That daughter remains in
isolation.
Barbados has a close to 20
percent diabetes rate, a high
hypertension and heart disease
count.
COVID-19 taking a toll on
Bajan-New Yorkers
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