Tag: U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health (VIDOH)

Department of Health Tracking Omicron Variants BA.4, BA.5

CHRISTIANSTED — During the weekly Government House briefing this afternoon, Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion said the department has confirmed the Omicron variant BA.4 and has preliminary findings of the presence of the BA.5 variant. “We expect that this variant, like all subvariants, will eventually circulate in the community as COVID-19 remains endemic,” Commissioner Encarnacion said. “Therefore […]

Finance Is Distributing 8,000+ Income Tax Refunds For 2020 Tax Returns

CHRISTIANSTED — During the weekly Government House briefing this afternoon, Communications Director Richard Motta Jr. announced that Virgin Islanders who filed their 2020 tax returns on time and did not have any issues with their returns have begun receiving their tax refunds for that tax year. According to Director Motta, 5,152 checks going out last week […]

Bryan Says COVID State of Emergency Ends June 30 By Executive Order

CHRISTIANSTED — Governor Albert Bryan has issued a proclamation extending the current COVID-19 Health State of Emergency from June 9-30 to enable an orderly winding down of the COVID Pandemic Emergency. During the transition State of Emergency continuing through June 30, all standing clauses of the 35th Supplemental Executive Order, as amended by the 36th through 38th executive […]

Bryan Tells Residents and Visitors COVID-19 Travel Portal No Longer In Effect Tomorrow

CHRISTIANSTED — During today’s weekly Government House briefing, Governor Albert Bryan reminded residents and visitors that, effective Wednesday, June 1, 2022, the USVI COVID-19 screening TravelPortal will cease to operate. “As you may know, we are transitioning our response to COVID-19 from pandemic to endemic. What this means, in short, is that we are at […]

USVI Ends COVID Restrictions For U.S. Travelers Today

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Governor Albert Bryan has issued an Executive Order removing the requirement for the U.S. Virgin Islands Travel Screening Portal for all domestic travel to and from the United States, the Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) said on Facebook. The Executive Order takes effect on Tuesday, May 31, 2022 (today), according to VIPA. […]

Health Commissioner Stresses Importance of Self-Monitoring As COVID-19 Goes Endemic

CHRISTIANSTED — During Monday’s weekly Government House briefing, Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion said it was important for residents to self-monitor as the territory transitions from the pandemic phase of COVID-19 to the endemic phase of the virus. In an endemic phase, a virus will always be circulating among the community in some like, like the flu […]

Health Department Observes World Immunization Week This Week

CHRISTIANSTED — The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health is observing World Immunization Week (WIW) this week. WIW is a global public health campaign that raises awareness and increases rates of immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases around the world. It aims to highlight the collective action needed and to promote the use of vaccines to protect […]

Prenatal Ward At Juan F. Luis Hospital Shut Down Due To Cleanliness Concerns Of Staff

CHRISTIANSTED — The Juan F. Luis Hospital closed its prenatal ward two weeks ago and moved it to the post-partum unit of the medical facility, the Juan F. Luis Hospital management said Saturday. Concerns with the cleanliness of its Labor and Delivery (L&D) unit of the hospital were reported by the staff on duty the […]

Governor Bryan Tests Positive for COVID-19

Chief Executive cancels all public appearances and is self-quarantining in accordance with CDC and V.I. Department of Health guidelines CHRISTIANSTED — After returning to the territory on Tuesday afternoon following a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., and Miami, Governor Albert Bryan tested positive for COVID-19 early this morning. While Governor Bryan is asymptomatic and in good […]

Health Department Urges All To Mind COVID-19 Safety Protocols Heading Into Carnival

CHRISTIANSTED — During today’s weekly Government House briefing, Territorial Epidemiologist Dr. Esther Ellis said the number of active cases of COVID-19 in the territory has remained higher that health officials had hoped, and she urged residents to take precautions against spreading the virus as Carnival season begins. “As we embark on Carnival on St. Thomas, it […]