The headquarters for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. (AP)
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
SENIOR health officials warned yesterday the risk of the coronavirus spreading to The Bahamas remains “very high” and that the country’s response to the global crisis must remain “very fluid”.
As countries around the world react to the disease’s impact on their own populations, The Bahamas is monitoring virtually hour-by-hour the best responses to take to stop the virus entering the country - and what to do if it does.
Health Minister Dr Duane Sands revealed at a press conference The Bahamas had suffered a slight setback in the delivery here by the US Centres for Disease Control of faulty test kits for the virus. He also revealed the country is less likely to continue expanding the list of countries from where travellers are banned because of the diminishing benefits of doing so. Currently, foreign travellers are banned from China, Italy, South Korea and Iran. Bahamians returning from these countries will be quarantined.
Officials repeated yesterday there are no suspected, reported or confirmed cases of COVID-19 locally.
However, citing the World Health Organisation, Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan said the threat of the coronavirus to The Bahamas is very high.
“We are a cruise industry, we are a travel industry, this is a part of what we do, this is a part of our make-up, so that alone is what tends to give the level of risk associated (with this), particularly when we see cases occurring very close to us and from areas that generally make up our tourist grouping,” she added.
The availability of diagnostic tests has loomed large in the global fight against the virus.
South Korea, which has conducted wide-scale tests, has reported fewer new cases of the virus in recent days, progress it attributes to free and easy testing to detect the disease early. In the US, the CDC’s kits suffered technical problems and that country is now ramping up production and distribution of new kits.
Dr Sands said: “According to the director of the National Reference Lab, we would have received test kits through the Pan-American Health Organisation as well as from sources in Asia. The CDC kits had to be returned because they were defective so in total we have the capacity for more than 100, less than 200 (tests) at this time and we anticipate being able to ramp that up. This is very dynamic, very fluid and each country has its own challenges. I think the CDC has lamented the challenges they’ve had with their test kits and so there are a number of places where they are not able to provide on-demand testing.”
Dr Sands could not say how many samples can be tested in local labs each day. Some countries have implemented drive-through testing and aim for widespread access to the tests, but Dr Sands said the Bahamas will avoid using its resources indiscriminately.
“We have taken the approach that if people meet the case definition or if they have an abundance of criteria to suggest they could be COVID-19 positive, then we’ll go ahead and test them,” he said. “The last thing you want to do is use your test kits indiscriminately and then find out that you don’t have them when you need them.”
Dr McMillan confirmed no one in the country has been tested to date for the virus. If the disease is confirmed here, she said people could expect social distancing measures to be implemented. “This is a key public health measure that actually has worked well in China,” she said. “That was one of the key things that was highlighted as to why they were able to contain the outbreak in China. The earlier you do that, the less likely you are to have an outbreak.”
Pictures have circulated in recent days of many tourists standing in lines at Lynden Pindling International Airport but Dr McMillan suggested Bahamians should not expect to see screening measures like temperature readings at ports of entry. These, she said, lead to a false sense of security. “It is not proven to be very effective in part because a temperature is a point in time so a person may not be symptomatic or have a temperature at the time that they come through,” she said.
“Our efforts would be better placed in ensuring that we are putting in the measures at our healthcare facilities that detect early, identify, isolate and those kinds of things, get our public well-engaged in the public health measures, get them practicing the hand-washing, covering the cough and those things rather than investing efforts at the ports with screening because it’s not been very effective in keeping cases out.”
As fears of the coronavirus increase, so too have false reports and theories about the illness. One doctor in Grand Bahama was interviewed on a local TV network and claimed pine needle tea is effective against the virus, drawing rebuke yesterday from Dr Sands.
“There are reports being circulated about remedies, remedies about COVID-19 and none of these things have been tested internationally using standard by which any therapy is tested, and that is in comparison to placebo or to best available medication,” Dr Sands said. “Since there are no known therapies that have been tried and tested for COVID-19, the idea that we would have a local plant which is able to cure COVID-19 is an absurdity and I suggest that people realise that before sharing things.”
Asked about expanding the list of countries from where travellers have been banned, Dr Sands the Bahamas will reap diminishing returns from such measures the more the virus spreads.
“...As we get to a point where more and more countries have widespread community transmissions, the benefit of additional border control interventions is reduced dramatically,” he said. “As time goes on, it is less likely we will increase the list of countries on that list because the yield will be less.”
Comments
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 1 month ago
wow a doctor said pine needle tea was effective against the virus?? I'd have to hear that myself because that's odd for a doctor to say that when they've never seen a single case of the virus. He may have said it's good for treating the family of viruses.. or may have spoken about it's effectiveness with respiratory illnesses in general. Would have to hear what he actually said.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 1 month ago
Now begins all of the excuses by the Minnis-led FNM government for its incompetence and unpreparedness, starting with its failure to take early aggressive containment measures notwithstanding its failure to secure an adequate supply of functional testing kits early on.
South Korea locked down its borders and was able to conduct early testing on many thousands of its citizenry to target hotspots for aggressive containment measures. No one is allowed to enter Israel without going through a mandatory supervised 14 day quarantine period. Japan shutdown its school system. All of Northern Italy has been locked down - persons are not allowed to roam around freely and only essential businesses are open to meet their most basic food, water and medical needs. Many schools, colleges and universities in large metropolitan centres in the U.S. have been closed indefinitely and individuals in these high population hotspots are being told to work from home if at all possible as their city officials contemplate the imposition of mandatory lockdown measures.
But here in The Bahamas we have Sands telling us our incompetent Minnis-led government is relaxing travel restrictions while making all kinds of excuses for not having long ago adopted aggressive containment measures. No doubt this is because Minnis has been keen to look after the interests of his foreign business partners in the cruise ship industry, namely Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Disney. These foreign companies clearly have a vice on Minnis's tiny rat size balls and are squeezing them real hard in order to get him and his fellow cabinet ministers to convince us Bahamians that we should just sit back and sing that famous song with the lyric: "Don't worry, be happy". And of course they will be telling us to continue merrily singing that song when the worst starts to happen. Persons infected with COVID-19 are most assuredly already on New Providence and this fact has simply not been identified because no proper testing has been done. One can only wonder how many deaths of older Bahamians have been misdiagnosed as having been caused by the flu during this particularly bad flu season.
My advice to all Bahamians age 60+ who have an existing medical condition like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease or lung disease (difficulty breathing), is to stock up on at least a month's supply of non-perishable foods, water, medications, etc. and avoid going outdoors to the maximum extent possible. Also stay at least six feet away from anyone who may visit you and remember that the virus can remain alive on most surfaces for up to a week or more. Use soap, bleach or alcohol based cleansers to clean areas in your home that may have been touched by anyone who visits you. Stay away from large gatherings of any kind, including church, family members, etc. and pray daily. All of this is consistent with what the CDC in Atlanta is telling 60+ year-old Americans. Good luck!
xtreme2x 4 years, 1 month ago
Lol...Jim Baker was on his television trying to sell a cure for COVID-19. UNTIL A US JUDGE send him a stop letter. about a week ago.
TalRussell 4 years, 1 month ago
Thee is nothing new here being stated by Colony's comrade health minister of which would not have been known by his ministerial portfolio's health officials for past 3 to 6 weeks - like the fact that test kits were delivered and found be faulty. The minister further states that, only after the disease is confirmed here, people could expect social distancing measures to be implemented? Further, that government's very financial dependence on selling off large chuck cruise ships interests have made PopouacesOrdinary - modern day slaves to their promised investments. . An expected kind response from a man's, who is seen as the substantive crown minster- whose health ministry has demonstrated that not only did his government leave 60 dead bodes stored in some refrigerated trailer - parked outdoors on some parking lot - but they to this late day remain confused as to how to perform a proper and simple burial for the 60 deceased victims of Hurricane Dorian - a hurricane which made landfall on the Abaco islands, way back on September 1, 2019. This is not telling lies about a failed governing party -.it's the truth.
John 4 years, 1 month ago
The pine needles for flu and virus 🦠 s not new. When persons had a hard time getting rid of the flu, they would put pine branches in the room with the patient. And put fresh ones until the patient goe better
TalRussell 4 years, 1 month ago
If the test kits were faulty it means there is no affirmative to support ministry of health officials repeated statements that there are no suspected, reported or confirmed cases of COVID-19 anywhere Colony's 700 Out Islands and Cays.Are all private labs offering free testing and are labs and medical practitioners - mandated to forthwith report suspect results to ministry of health? Yeah, no? to encourage with flu-like symptoms to remain at home, will employers pay workers their full wages for any and all missed working days? So much vital information is missing from health ministers statement, likes all answers to all the above - plus are we going begin see private insurers dropping policy holders sickness and prescriptions benefits? Will all doctors visits and prescriptions be covered 100% by government if not covered by private insurers?
joeblow 4 years, 1 month ago
The way he is wording his statement suggests they may have suspected cases, they know that it is a matter of time before word gets out and they are best trying to figure out how to do damage control to minimize the economic impact!
John 4 years, 1 month ago
Seems like the countries that are spending the most money and taking the most drastic steps to contain the virus are getting the least favorable results. Italy for example that his quarantined the entire country. But new infections continue and deaths as well. Should more effort go into treating infected patients and strengthen immune systems of potential victims than quarantines
Sickened 4 years, 1 month ago
Let's see how Jamaica's tourism number fare in the next couple of weeks, now that they have confirmed a case.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 1 month ago
well I bet you they don't know the difference between Jamaica and the Bahamas! one love
John 4 years, 1 month ago
The spring breakers say they will not let the corona virus spoil their spring break. They only have 4 of them which is the best time of their lives. They are practicing safety first, washing hands and all but they are not letting Corona dampen their spring break
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 1 month ago
Sadly, many spring breakers from hotspot metropolitan areas in the U.S. are likely to be asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19. They will bring even more of this deadly virus to our shores where it will eventually spread to and wreak havoc on the most vulnerable in our communities, i.e. persons age 60+ with pre-existing conditions like hyper-tension (high blood pressure), diabetes, heart disease and pulmonary (lung) disease. Our government's foolish insistence that our country's borders must remain open for tourism is going to cost the lives of many of the more vulnerable among us. The Minnis-led FNM government should have weeks ago declared a state of national emergency and suspended all cruise ship arrivals to ports anywhere in the Bahamas.
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