COVID cases continue to increase

With the Christmas holiday just days away, COVID cases increased substantially over the weekend in what some worry might be the start of another wave.

After weeks of low numbers, 117 new cases were recorded from Thursday to Saturday alone.

Eighty-four of the cases were on New Providence and 28 on Grand Bahama, two on Exuma, one on Abaco, one on Andros and one on Long Island.

The test positivity rate on Saturday was 7.9 percent. Friday’s rate was 9.8 percent and Thursday’s was 6.1 percent, all higher than the five percent maximum recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), but still lower than the rates seen during the third wave, which regularly topped 20 percent.

In the last week, from December 12 to 18, 207 new cases have been confirmed.

By comparison, the previous week, from December 5 to 11, 71 cases were recorded. From November 28 to December 4, 73 cases were recorded in The Bahamas.

As of Saturday, there were 509 active cases in the country.

Hospitalizations have also increased noticeably, particularly on Grand Bahama.

As of Saturday, 23 people were hospitalized in the country. Of them, 12 were on Grand Bahama and 11 on New Providence.

Dr. Nikkiah Forbes, director of the national HIV/AIDs and infectious diseases program said these are worrying signs.

Forbes said past experience shows that an uptick in numbers on Grand Bahama usually indicates the start of another surge.

“Grand Bahama had had no hospitalizations for a number of days, and Grand Bahama now has COVID hospitalizations again,” she said.

“… Now, that’s very concerning because when we look at the COVID situation in the country in our previous history of waves, Grand Bahama seems to start this off for whatever reason. I don’t know why … but Grand Bahama usually spikes first, so we are watching carefully.”

The Bahamas came out of a long and deadly third wave of COVID in October, which saw hundreds of people lose their lives to the virus. 

With the vaccination rate still hovering around 40 percent and nursing shortages still a pressing issue, many worry that another surge could be even worse. 

With the holidays approaching, Forbes said it is vital that people be careful, especially as the more transmissible omicron variant spreads across the globe. 

“Please, we all need to use caution in what we are doing. Please get vaccinated if you’re not vaccinated.

“With omicron looming, that is going to be very concerning and it is now the time to protect yourself with vaccination and boosters.

“And that means that you still have to wear a mask and keep your six feet of distance. Shopping and those kinds of activities we do this kind of year, do it safely with a mask on, watching your distance, avoiding crowds.

“And with gatherings, be very, very careful … you want them not to be large. Large gatherings are going to be dangerous for the spread of COVID.”

Forbes also said that having attendees undergo antigen tests on the day of gatherings could also be a big help.

No new COVID deaths were confirmed over the weekend. As of Saturday, 713 people had died of the virus since the start of the pandemic. Another 150 people were confirmed to have died with COVID, but not of it, while 38 deaths remained under investigation.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/covid-cases-continue-to-increase/