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guardian.co.tt
Doctor dies from COVID 3 months after
medic brother succumbed to virus
RISHARD KHAN AND
BAVITA GOPAULCHAN
Well-known doctor, Dr Vinod Ma-
habir, died of the COVID-19 virus
at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
of the Arima General Hospital
shortly after midnight on Wednes-
day.
Mahabir’s younger brother, Dr
Dhiyan Mahabir, also succumbed
to the disease three months ago.
Dr Mahabir was well known
for his work with prisoners at the
Golden Grove Prison in Arouca.
United National Congress MP
Khadijah Ameen offered sympa-
thies on behalf of the people of
her St Augustine constituency and
her own family.
In a release, Ameen described
him as “a renowned, dedicated
Death Row inmate contracts Delta
ANNALISA PAUL
Prison officials have increased
COVID-19 screening measures
at the Port-of-Spain State Prison
after a condemned prisoner was
diagnosed with the Delta variant
on Tuesday.
Confirming this yesterday,
Prison Commissioner Dennis Pul-
chan said, “It is a condemned pris-
oner who is sentenced to hang.”
Declining to disclose the prison-
er’s age, he assured, “He is totally
isolated and all protocols are in
place to prevent the spread of the
virus in the prison at this time.”
Currently under the care of the
prison’s medical doctors, Pulchan
said treatment and further testing
on the prisoner is being done in
collaboration with the Ministry of
Health.
He said approximately 15 sam-
ples, which were taken from
prison officers and other inmates
who interacted with the prisoner,
were submitted for testing at the
Caribbean Public Health Agency
and committed physician and
DMO” who worked for decades
as the physician for the Golden
Grove Prison.
“He operated his office on East-
ern Main Road, Arouca, where he
served an abundance of patients
on a daily basis. Dr Mahabir self-
lessly served his community and
by extension the country. Dr Ma-
habir was committed to his pro-
fession, and many times would
treat patients without charge. He
was one of seven siblings, four of
whom were medical practitioners
and would often consult with one
another,” she said.
After news broke of his passing,
many people took to social media
to express their grief.
Journalist Urvashi Tiwari-Roop-
narine said on Facebook that he
(CARPHA).
Asked how the condemned
man could have become infected,
since public visits for these pris-
oners have been suspended, Pul-
chan said, “There is a very good
chance that officers who may have
been working, or even an inmate,
may have had it and came to the
Condemned Division, so there are
many possibilities how this could
have come across, it is either by an
officer or an inmate. I cannot zero
in to be absolutely sure.”
He said the 15 persons had been
isolated and the officers are not
at work, while the inmates who
would have transported food to
the Condemned Division for the
inmates housed there, have also
been isolated at this time in a cer-
tain part of the prison.
However, Pulchan assured that
things are under control.
“We are concerned the variant
has found its way into the prison
and because we are not exactly
sure how, we have stepped our
sanitisation efforts and screening
Dr Vinod Mahabir
was her family’s doctor.
“I’ve known Dr Mahabir for
decades and during that time he
became more than a doctor to my
The death row section in
the Port-of-Spain Prison.
PICTURE ROBERTO CODALLO
measures.
“We are more insistent that of-
ficers wear their masks and we are
being extra vigilant because the
prison is a vulnerable place and
we have to be careful because we
are in charge of lives, so we have
to make sure everyone is pro-
tected as far as possible.”
He reminded that officers are
members of the public who, after
completing their shift at work,
return to their families, visit gro-
ceries and pharmacies and other
places like everyone else.
“There is the possibility that
transmission could happen,” he
said.
Noting the ministry had pro-
vided COVID-19 vaccines for all
officers and inmates, Pulchan said
vaccine hesitancy continued to
be a major stumbling block in the
process.
“Only 20 per cent of the prison
population has been vaccinated,
and in officers, it is about 30 per
cent that have so far been vacci-
nated,” he said.
family. He became our advisor,
confidante and well-wisher. He
was very proud of his roots and
culture.
“Educated in India, Dr Mahabir
worked his way to and remained,
until his death, one of the most
respected physicians in T&T,” she
said.
Another Facebook user, Davie
Lutchman, recounted her times
visiting him as a patient.
“My No 1 and only Doctor. For
almost 20 years. I remember you
always know I going and bawl
for injections, you would hide
the amount from me and just hit
me my 3 or 4 one after the next.
I would’ve always told you that
blue outfit look good on you. This
death hit very hard. I am sure you
went straight to heaven, you did
PMO: Three recent COVID
fatalities refused hospitalisation
Three of the nation’s recent
COVID-19 fatalities initially re-
fused to be hospitalised against
the advice of healthcare profes-
sionals, according to the Minis-
try of Health’s Principal Medical
Officer of Institutions Dr Maryam
Abdool-Richards.
She said the patients all con-
tacted the ambulance service
and were advised they needed
hospitalisation.
“These three persons denied
the transfer. Within a day, they
had decompensated or deteri-
orated at home and they were
transferred immediately to the
Accident and Emergency De-
partment and two out of the
three were admitted to the par-
allel healthcare system but, un-
fortunately, these three persons
succumbed to the COVID-19,” Ab-
dool-Richards said at yesterday
COVID-19 media briefing.
The patients, she said, were
not fully vaccinated. The inci-
dent, according to Abdool-Rich-
ards, is part of a recent trend
where patients are seeking medi-
cal attention too late.
“Over the last 16 days, there
has been a consistent trend of
persons presenting or entering
the Accident and Emergency De-
partment in a severe or critical
medical condition. We have also
Nine more COVID fatalities, 393 new cases
The country recorded its highest
jump in COVID-19 cases in almost
six months.
According to the Ministry of
Health’s daily update yesterday,
393 new cases were confirmed
from samples collected between
October 30 and November 2.
It’s the highest jump since
June 9, which saw 454 cases con-
firmed.
Thursday, November 4, 2021
God’s work, what he sent you
here to do. May you forever rest
in peace. Love you, Dr Mahabir,”
she said.
Ria Kissoon said on Facebook
she felt “so numb” hearing the
news.
“Saved me and my family so
many times. R.I.P Uncle,” she
said.
Mahabir is the fourth doctor to
succumb to COVID-19, according
to information in the public do-
main. On May 9, Shiva Sieunarine
died in the Accident and Emer-
gency Department at the Eric Wil-
liams Medical Sciences Complex.
On May 12 Dr Maniram Rampaul
died. And Dr Dhiyan Mahabir died
in the Accident and Emergency
Department at the San Fernando
General Hospital’s ICU.
noticed that...in excess of 90 per
cent (of those persons) on a daily
basis are unvaccinated or not
fully vaccinated,” she said.
This, in turn, was also contrib-
uting to the burden placed on the
ICUs across the parallel health-
care system.
“This trend suggests that the
population can alleviate the
demand on ICU beds through
vaccination and also through
contacting the GMRTT service
or the county medical officer of
health to inform them of a de-
compensation or a worsening of
their clinical condition,” she said.
As of yesterday, Tobago’s ICUs
were at 100 per cent capacity
after all five spaces were filled
overnight. The ICU capacity in
Trinidad was expanded to 58
in recent weeks and its peak
occupancy was 52 patients last
week. However, as of yesterday
morning, there were 48 patients
warded.
Asked what accounted for this,
she said, “A preliminary analysis
has shown that there has been an
increased number of deaths, un-
fortunately, and these deaths re-
ally come from the persons who
require Intensive Care Unit level
treatment.”
However, she said further anal-
ysis is needed on these trends.
The new cases bring the sev-
en-day rolling average up to 278
- the highest it’s been since June
19, which was 298.
The ministry also confirmed
nine additional fatalities over the
24-hour reporting period, bring-
ing the country’s toll up to 1,729.
They were five elderly females,
two middle-aged males and two
middle-aged females.