(Trinidad Express) Operations at the San Fernando High Court came to a standstill on Monday as word spread that a police constable attached to the Court and Process branch had contracted the H1N1 influenza virus or swine flu and was critically ill.

The officer, of Penal, was at work up until last Friday and was admitted on Saturday to the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) where he was being treated at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

The three criminal courts, to which the officer was assigned, were the first to be suspended followed by the Civil Courts “as a precaution”.

By 2 p.m., most of the other members of staff had left work.

Sitting in the Second Assize Court, Justice Anthony Carmona told jurors that confirmation had been received by the court of the officer’s condition.

He said the court learnt that the 27-year-old officer was vomiting blood and his breathing was being assisted by a ventilator.

“This would explain to you why the police officers (on duty in the court today) are in plain clothes because they are unable to access the area where their uniforms are as their colleague would have been in that area,” Carmona said. “I do empathise and I hope their colleague recovers quickly.”

Four people have died at the hospital’s ICU from the swine flu.
All the deaths are from a relatively small geographic area, and all the victims were morbidly obese, according to executive medical director of the South West Regional Health Authority, Dr Albert Persad.