Nine new cases of the delta variant have been recorded in TT.
Confirmation was made via a release on Friday afternoon from the Ministry of Health, (MoE).
This brings the total of confirmed cases of the variant of concern to 26.
According to the ministry, three of the cases included one non-national and two nationals who were crew members on board a vessel. It said they were not allowed to disembark, and spent their isolation period aboard the vessel.
One case is a national who recently travelled to Trinidad from Dubai via Miami. Five other cases were found locally in people with no history of travel.
All patients have been placed in isolation until the enhanced discharge criteria for people with covid19 variants of concern are achieved. It said contact tracing, testing, and quarantining of contacts has also been initiated.
The ministry urged everyone who is eligible, including those aged 12 to 18, to be vaccinated against the covid19 virus as soon as possible. Additionally, members of the public are reminded to follow all of the recommended personal health protective measures, even if they are fully vaccinated.
The World Health Organization said there have been confirmed cases of the delta variant in 185 countries.
It said research has suggested that the delta variant is more easily spread from person to person as compared to previous variants and is estimated to be two to four times more transmissible than the original Wuhan lineage of the virus.
Additionally, evidence indicates that individuals who have contracted this variant may be prone to an increased risk of severe illness and hospitalisation. This variant may also lead to an increase in cases of covid19 in younger age groups and in those who have been previously infected
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