The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

NEW Providence recorded a new single-day record of 51 confirmed COVID-19 cases yesterday.

One hundred and sixty-five cases have been confirmed on the island in the last week.

Two cases were also reported on Grand Bahama while the number of people hospitalised increased by one for a total of 31.

With a population of fewer than 400,000 people, the Bahamas has now had more confirmed COVID-19 cases than Jamaica, a country with nearly three million people.

A University of The Bahamas professor, meanwhile, conducted a study indicating there is “widespread misconception” about COVID-19 in the country. Associate Professor of Nursing and Allied Health Professions Dr Theresa Moxey-Adderley said the misconceptions could have played a role in the uptick of cases the country has experienced recently.

“One aspect of risk for exposure to the virus is whether or not individuals have a basic knowledge about the virus and understand the value of preventative measures such as handwashing,” she said, according to a statement from the university.

“A lack of understanding of these matters has the potential to undermine public health efforts to contain the pandemic. Successful determinants of prevention depend on knowledge of causation and dynamics of transmission.”

The Bahamas had recorded 106 confirmed cases as of July 8, 2020, 89 of which had recovered. Up to yesterday there were 1089 confirmed cases and 138 recoveries.

Dr Moxey-Adderley’s preliminary study assessing people’s knowledge of COVID-19 prevention and control practices was conducted via an online questionnaire involving 162 UB students between the ages of 18 and 56. A pre-test was also given to 3,634 members of the general public who had attended a COVID-19 workplace protocols training course.

According to the survey, 42 percent of UB students reported going into a crowded place or being on a long line in the seven days preceding the study despite officials urging people to remain physically distant.

UB said in a statement: “Some 80 percent of the UB students, and 98 percent of the non-medical participants responded incorrectly to the question: ‘Is coronavirus a living organism?’ Based on the results, and although 88 percent of the UB students knew COVID-19 spreads via the respiratory droplets of infected people, 58 percent of them didn’t know that the clinical symptoms of COVID-19 included symptoms similar to the common cold or flu.

“Dr Moxey-Adderley noted that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease – is not considered a living organism, but rather a highly contagious virus that is easily spread among people.

“Additionally, 84 percent of the UB students endorsed healthy persons utilizing medical-grade face masks to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus at a time when the science on face masks was still inconclusive. According to Dr Moxey-Adderley, the UB students’ position on wearing face masks was actually influenced by what they heard in the media rather than empirical scientific data. And those unclear benefits and usage of face masks could have created a false sense of security amongst the populace, leading to diminished preventative measures such as physical distancing and hand washing.

“Greater efficacy on public education is highly recommended,” said Dr Moxey-Adderley. “The almost total lack of knowledge about what a virus is in the group of 3,634 is also of concern. In order to effectively implement prevention and control measures, you must at least have a basic understanding of what the characteristics of the virus you’re trying to prevent and control are. It cannot replicate on a surface, and it requires you as the host to move it around in the environment.

“While various government agencies made mandatory and organized infection prevention and control training to prepare for the reopening of businesses in a COVID-19 world, it is noteworthy that even after they had been living with COVID-19 for four months, the majority of the participants knew very little about viruses. This suggests that there is still much to do to educate the public so they can make informed decisions with regards to their role in the preventing and controlling the surge of cases of COVID-19 in The Bahamas.”