 The Ministry of Health and Wellness on Wednesday, February 3, 2021, received confirmation of 77 new cases of COVID-19 from a batch of 413 tests conducted at the Israelong laboratory. This batch consisted of samples taken from January 25 to February 1, 2021. The Ministry on Wednesday also confirmed the recovery of 73 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, bringing the total number of active cases in country to 759. One of the active cases as at news time was in critical care at the respiratory hospital, while all others were stable. One of the cases is a 41-year-old male non-national. He was placed in quarantine while awaiting receipt of his test results. The individual has since been placed in isolation. The other 76 cases are St. Lucia Nationals who range in age from 12 years to 67 years. They are from the Barbano, Ancelary, Grosile, Dennery, Labry, Castries and Viewport districts. They were seen at a community-based respiratory clinic for assessment and were tested for COVID-19. These individuals were placed in quarantine by healthcare practitioners while awaiting their COVID-19 test results. Arrangements have since been made to place them in isolation. The contact tracing team is undertaking investigations to identify the contacts of these confirmed cases. The Ministry of Health and Wellness on Wednesday also confirmed two COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total number of deaths in country to date to 18. Death 17 is a 65-year-old male and death 18 is a 82-year-old male. Both individuals had underlined medical illnesses and were in care at the time of their passing. The Ministry of Health and Wellness extends condolences to the families and loved ones of these individuals. The new cases now bring the total number of cases diagnosed in country to date to 1556.