Testing results

This page was last updated on 2 November 2020 at 12:15hrs.

On 9 March 2020, The Director of Public Health, Dr Nicola Brink, announced the first positive case of COVID-19, in the island. See the following media release for more details.

Media release - 9 March 2020 - First case of COVID-19 in the Bailiwick confirmed [437.66 KB]

Media release - 27 May 2020 - Active Cases [533.84 KB]

Media release - 2 July 2020 - Public Health provides more details on positive COVID-19 cases seen during pandemic [128.29 KB]

COVID-19 testing and cases

Bailiwick of Guernsey

Samples tested

19993

Positive results^

271

Negative results

19631

Awaiting results*

No. of deaths**

No. of presumptive deaths***

Number recovered

246

Known active cases

* Awaiting results indicates people who have been swabbed and are awaiting a result as well as people with operations and approved for compassionate travel who are booked several days in advance.

** 2 of the 13 deaths occurred in hospital, excludes one death that was not COVID-19 related.

*** Presumptive deaths have been reduced by one as retrospective review of one of the presumptive deaths concluded that the death was not COVID-19 related.

^ 252 of the positive cases were from the first wave.

The positive results are a result of a single cluster of infections and those picked up upon arrival into the Bailiwick at the border.

The samples tested number relates to all the sampling and testing activity associated with finding out if a person is positive or negative during ‘one testing episode’

For example - a person who is symptomatic, is swabbed and the test outcome is positive. One is added to ‘samples tested’ and one to ‘positive results’. After two weeks the case is re-swabbed to see if they have cleared their infection. They are negative and deemed recovered. Neither the extra swab nor the new negative result are counted as this relates to the original testing episode which has already registered on our statistics.

Recovered

We are defining recovery as having no virus detectable on their nose / throat swab on Day 14 or later if a person is still symptomatic on Day 14.

Active Cases

Active cases are the total number of cases minus those who have recovered or are deceased. We are defining recovery as having no virus detectable on their nose / throat swab on Day 14 or later if a person is still symptomatic on Day 14.

Hospital Cases

There are currently no in-patients with confirmed COVID-19 in the Princess Elizabeth Hospital. Therefore, no patients are currently receiving intensive care support.

Deaths

13 confirmed COVID-19 deaths – COVID-19 positive on laboratory testing / throat swab. Two of which occurred in hospital.

Three presumptive deaths, these have been reduced by one as retrospective review of one of the presumptive deaths concluded that the death was not COVID-19 related.

Details of deaths registered in Guernsey between 1 January 2010 and 18 April 2020 have been examined by the Health Intelligence Unit, Public Health Services, to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on local death registrations from COVID-19 and other causes. The full report can be found in the downloads section on this page.