Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pearl McMillan said on Friday Grand Bahama is reaching its bed capacity for COVID-19 patients.
“Health capacity for responding to COVID-19 takes into account many factors,” she said.
“The health workforce is one factor. Our health workforce continues to be the gatekeepers for our health delivery and the public health fight against COVID-19.
“Our response would be challenged without them. To them I say, you are valued.
“Another factor is health system capacity. In New Providence, there is a total of 30 COVID-19 beds. In Grand Bahama, there are 16 of these beds.
“At present, there are 11 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and Grand Bahama is fast approaching its bed capacity.”
The largest number of hospitalized patients was nine during the first wave of the pandemic, according to McMillan.
She said national outlets for RT-PCR COVID-19 testing were “expanded with the introduction of at least three private sector players with this testing capacity”.
McMillan said an RNA extractor has arrived in The Bahamas.
“This equipment reduces the processing time of samples and consequently the time for confirming whether a sample is positive or not,” she said.
“In response to the increasing demand for testing, the National Reference Laboratory has identified qualified and credentialed lab volunteers to support the extended hours of operation.”
McMillan said there are more than 12,000 COVID-19 swabs in the public sector.
The Bahamas saw a resurgence of COVID-19 cases beginning July 8, a week after the reopening of its borders. There had been 104 confirmed cases up to July 7.
Grand Bahama recorded 161 cases since July 8.
As of yesterday, the number of confirmed cases in the country stood at 342, with 238 active and 10 hospitalizations.
The post GB reaching bed capacity for COVID-19 patients appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/07/27/gb-reaching-bed-capacity-for-covid-19-patients/
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