The Ministry of Health in Trinidad and Tobago last night confirmed the presence of the United Kingdom (UK) variant of COVID-19 on the island.

The presence has been detected in five positive samples sent to the University of the West Indies for genetic sequencing. All five samples sequenced revealed the presence of the B117 variant (the UK variant).

The news comes as the country recorded 112 cases and three deaths in the past three days. The health ministry reports that these samples were taken from foreign nationals on board a sea vessel on March 23, 2021.

In a statement released to the local media, the health ministry said upon receipt of the positive results, all five samples were sent via the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to the University of the West Indies (UWI) Laboratory. According to the ministry, none of the infected persons were allowed to disembark the vessel as per the national quarantine protocol.

VESSEL LEAVES TT

Subsequently, the vessel left the twin-island republic’s waters on March 24, 2021.

The ministry said it was reminding the public that all quarantine protocols remain in place to ensure the continued protection of its citizens.

The ministry did not identify the nationalities of those on the ship, nor where it came from and was headed to.

The first case of the variant reported in TT was detected in a national who returned from the UK in January.