CDC urges people to avoid any trip to Guam amid the surge in coronavirus
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention raised the risk of coronavirus in Guam to “very high” on Monday, which means people should avoid any trip to the U.S. island area.
The label, also known as Level 4, means that US territory has recorded more than 100 new cases of COVID-19, the coronavirus respiratory disease, in the past 28 days. Guam had been at the “high” level since May 3rd.
Since the pandemic began, the island has confirmed 8,103 infections, 89 of which were active on Monday, and 139 deaths, according to Guams Joint Information Center. Twelve new patients were identified on Monday.
“This improvement in travel risk should not be seen as a setback to our recovery, but rather as a reminder that we must maintain basic COVID-19 mitigation measures,” Governor Lou Leon Guerrero said in a statement on Tuesday. “Wearing your mask, washing your hands, and watching your distance remain our greatest protection for our community.”
The message is coming less than a week after the CDC discovered three COVID-19 variants in Guam that were “of concern”. Of seven samples collected in March and April, four were identified as the British variant, one as the California variant and one as the South African variant.
“These variants seem to spread easier and faster than other variants, which can lead to more cases of COVID-19,” the CDC said on its website. “An increase in the number of cases will put more strain on health care resources, lead to more hospitalizations and potentially more deaths.”
So far, according to the CDC, studies suggest that all approved vaccines are effective against these variants. However, more studies are ongoing.
“This virus can be defeated and we know how,” said Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio in Tuesday’s statement. “While we’ve seen more positive cases in our community over the past few weeks, data tell us that most of these people have not been immunized.”
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