The Joint Information Center reported 13 new cases of Covid-19 out of 627 tests performed on Tuesday, Dec. 8. Four cases were identified through contact tracing. One case reported recent travel and was identified in quarantine.
To date, there have been a total of 7,039 officially reported cases of Covid-19 with 113 deaths, 594 cases in active isolation and 6,332 not in active isolation. The volume of patients at Guam hospitals has gone down to 37.
The Covid Risk Area (CAR) score is now 1.5. CAR score accounts for the incidence of new cases, how well current testing identifies these cases, and the rate of spread. The ideal long-term goal is to sustain a CAR Score of 2.5 or less, which has been shown to correlate with very low to zero Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths.
The Vaccine and Antiviral Prioritization Policy Committee (VAPPC) will hold its first meeting this Thursday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m. in anticipation of the arrival of the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines to Guam.
The VAPPC will primarily be responsible for advising the Department of Public Health and Social Services on identifying critical population groups who will receive the first round of vaccines and other Covid-19 vaccine-related matters.
During its first meeting, the VAPPC will discuss the recommendations received from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, high risk groups, review current available information, and schedule its next meeting and other Covid-19 vaccine-related issues.
At the conclusion of the VAPPC meeting, DPHSS said it will release information summarizing the topics discussed.