(Trinidad Guardian)-Forty new patients who have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) have been admitted to the Couva Hospital.

Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh confirmed this at a media conference on Saturday.

The Minister said all the new cases were from among the batch of nationals who just returned from an ill-fated cruise in Guadeloupe.

However, Guardian Media had also received two confirmatory reports from a medical professional at the Couva facility and another employee there that the 40 patients were taken to the hospital just after 2.30 am on Saturday.

It was also confirmed that one of the previous patients at the hospital had recovered enough to be discharged.

According to the doctor at Couva, at least one of the cases was not imported but acquired locally. That patient, he said, was admitted to the hospital in San Fernando and then transferred to Couva. This would now take the overall cases here in T&T to 49 as the toll up to Friday had been 9.

Guardian Media was told that all 40 patients are in the same ward.

The doctor, who requested anonymity, said that the Government must start broadening testing quickly. Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh announced on Friday that they would start this process soon.