The Trinidad and Tobago Medical Association is standing in solidarity with  Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Roshan Parasram, amid what it calls “attacks” leveled against him and by extension, the medical fraternity.

“We note with disdain the unsubstantiated attacks that some have purveyed against many who have struggled tirelessly for the benefit of our country. Our gratitude and support lay with our Chief Medical Officer and his office, as well as all the healthcare staff who have tirelessly served our needs over the last 6 months in particular, especially those who have contracted the virus themselves,” the Association said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Noting that the country is “on the verge of a crisis of capacity” given the rise in COVID-19 cases, the Association says it is in support  of the Ministry of Health’s decision to allow positive COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms to quarantine at home to mitigate this risk.

“Of the persons who will get COVID-19, only a small fraction will require hospital care. One third of those in hospital will require intensive, round the clock treatment, for up to weeks on end” the Association said.

It lamented that “we will see people of all ages die, not because there was nothing more we could do, but because there was no more room to treat them – as was seen internationally,” adding that the only way to mitigate this is to “avoid the spread of the virus which can be inhaled or spread to the mouth, nose, or eyes directly. Mask use and hand cleaning have been shown to decrease the rate of spread.”

The Association said while “we have many fingers to point blame”, this is all irrelevant in the face of our common enemy, COVID-19.