“The fact is the fourth wave is here” — Dr Philip Swann
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Younger individuals are being impacted by the continuing surge believed to be the fourth wave of the coronavirus in The Bahamas, in response to officials yesterday.
Data compiled by the Ministry of Health and Wellness indicate the vast majority of cases because the uptick in infections have been amongst those aged 20-29.
The information also suggest that this demographic is chargeable for clusters in the house and workplace, largely on account of an absence of adherence to health protocols.
Comparisons among the many first three waves in The Bahamas and the fourth wave shows that those between 20 and 59 are being impacted in greater numbers, with those between 20-29 topping that list.
“There’s a variation within the sex distribution with 53 percent of the cases within the fourth wave being represented by females,” said Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Philip Swann.
He continued: “Also what’s noted is that a major amount of the spread is happening in home settings and within the workplace. Each suggest that individuals are out and about, not adhering to really useful protective measures and taking the virus home to their families. We once more reiterate the importance of adherence to protocols in any respect times.”
He added: “The fact is the fourth wave is here and so what we want to work out what’s the engine that’s driving this wave and the way we will mitigate it.”
A complete of 970 cases were confirmed during epi week 52 of this yr, in comparison with the 79 cases in the course of the same period last yr and the previous record of 888 cases during epi week 33 — the summer of this yr when the delta variant was spreading throughout communities.
“This is critical because it represents 4.7 times the quantity of cases just the previous week, epi week 50 at 207 positive cases. About three to 4 weeks ago, during our weekly review, the Ministry of Health and Wellness noticed changes within the source of our numbers for reported positive cases,” Swann said.
“We noted that a greater proportion of our cases were amongst travelers, starting from 30 to 40 percent.”
Of the 970 cases, 677 were cases were amongst Bahamians and residents while 212 were amongst visitors. One other 81 cases weren’t delineated.
“It was at the moment we began conversations with fellow government agencies on steps to tighten the web around testing requirements to enter the country,”
“The review of our data indicated that a discount from five days to 3 days prior to travel was acceptable to either side of the coin, and that movement to just accept only RT PCR could be best given the choices available.”
The move was expected to limit as much as 50 percent of those testing positive for COVID-19 subsequent to their arrival, from entering the country.
Amid the surge, the federal government has sought to expand testing, recruit additional staff, increase access to medicines and ramp up vaccinations, while increasing measures related to The Bahamas travel regime.
Asked about infection rates increasing among the many elderly and people who are immunocompromised, Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Michael Darville said there’s a robust possibility that when the omicron variant reaches those groups, more severe cases could present in hospitals, leading to increased deaths.
Director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme Dr Nikkiah Forbes also said this has been the case in other jurisdictions, equivalent to america and the UK, noting that The Bahamas must proceed to be cautious and never take the omicron variant, though less severe, evenly.
