VI to Receive Shipment of the Drug Remdesivir for Covid-19 Patients; Testing Now Available for Military Veterans

  • Robert Moore
  • May 12, 2020
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V.I. Veterans were tested for Covid-19 on Monday at the Barren Spot Mall. By. ERNICE GILBERT/ VI CONSORTIUM

The U.S.V.I. will be among the early jurisdictions to receive a shipment of the new COVID-19 drug Remdesivir this week, said Governor Albert Bryan on Monday during the regular coronavirus updates from Government House.

Remdesivir is the only drug given emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration to treat patients with the potentially deadly respiratory disease. Mr. Bryan said a case of the anti-viral is expected.

“The National Institute of Health and Dr. Anthony Fauci have indicated marked progress of this medication improving the health outcomes of COVID-positive patients,” Governor Bryan said.  “There is a limited supply that will serve our immediate needs, but we have more coming as soon as they ramp-up the production.”

Preliminary analysis of a study from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases showed that hospitalized Covid-19 patients taking remdesivir had a speedier recovery than patients taking a placebo—though the reported benefit was moderate, with remdesivir patients recovering in 11 days, or four days faster than the placebo group, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Veterans to be Tested

Mr. Bryan also announced that military veterans in the Virgin Islands can soon be tested for the potentially deadly COVID-19 at the Veterans Administration Caribbean Healthcare System clinics on St. Croix and St. Thomas.

Testing – done by appointment only – began Monday at the St. Croix VA Clinic at the Village Mall in Barren Spot. On St. Thomas, testing will be on Wednesdays at the VA Clinic located in the Medical Foundation building behind the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital.

The testing is available twice a week for the next four weeks.

Government House later said in a written statement that 50 veterans have already been identified and scheduled for testing. An additional 20 may be tested.

“Any veteran feeling the need to be tested because of having  any COVID-19 related symptoms is asked to call the VA Clinical Contact Center at 1-877-741-3400 prior to visiting the VA clinic,” according to the statement.

The VA Caribbean Healthcare System, the Virgin Islands Department of Health and the V.I. Office of Veterans Affairs collaborated on a response plan should any veteran test positive for COVID-19, Government House said.

For more information, contact the VA Caribbean Healthcare System online at www.caribbean.va.gov/emergency, or call Dr. Farrell at the Virgin Islands Office of Veterans Affairs at 340-774-8387

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