The Latest News: Second COVID-19 Related Death; DPHSS Updates; CNMI and Other Flights Suspended
Second COVID-19 Related Death
On Tuesday, March 31, 2020 at 11:32 a.m. (ChST), Guam’s second COVID-19-related death occurred at the Guam Memorial Hospital (GMH). The patient presented at the Guam Regional Medical City (GRMC) on March 24, 2020 and was transferred to GMH where he remained in isolation throughout the week. The patient was 79 years old with underlying health issues, which were compounded by COVID-19. The patient had no recent travel history but initial investigations indicate the patient may have contracted COVID-19 from community contact.
DPHSS Testing Updates
The Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) tested 31 individuals for COVID-19 on Tuesday, March 31, 2020 with conclusive results. Nine (9) tested positive through DPHSS and 19 tested negative. The DPHSS overall count also includes four positive cases that were tested by the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in San Diego. To date, a total of 69 cases tested positive with 7 patients who have recovered and 2 deaths. All 60 remaining cases tested by GPHL and NHRC are in isolation.
For the latest information on the number of COVID-19 cases on Guam, visit the Guam Homeland Security’s website here.
CNMI and Other Flights Suspended
CNMI Governor Ralph Torres has asked United Airlines to suspend flights between Saipan and Guam as part of its efforts to minimize exposure to residents of further cases of COVID-19. The flight cancellations will be effective from April 6 to April 30, according to a press release from the Commonwealth Ports Authority. CNMI officials have stated that the April 3 flight is canceled but there will be one last set of flights between Guam and the CNMI on April 5.
In addition to the CNMI-Guam flight cancellations, nearly all flights to Guam will be suspended with the exception of certain United flights which will be operating on a much reduced scale.
News coverage of flights cancellations can be found here:
https://www.guampdn.com/story/news/local/2020/03/31/all-united-flights-between-cnmi-guam-suspended-effective-april-6/5093122002/
https://www.postguam.com/news/local/all-flights-suspended-with-the-exception-of-united-s-lifeline/article_6c825ec0-7275-11ea-a663-176f849e631e.html
https://www.postguam.com/business/local/united-airlines-flights-between-guam-and-saipan-canceled/article_ff6dffd0-731c-11ea-a5a2-9feb055ba22e.html