Nation ‘not in a good place’

Dr Duane Sands. Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune staff

As of Tuesday, May 11, 2021

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Health Minister Dr Duane Sands feels the country is “not in a good place” where COVID-19 cases are concerned and thinks the only way forward is to tighten restrictions.

He said enforcement of whatever restrictions are put in place is key to putting COVID-19 in check. His recommendations coincide with suggestions from officials of the Pan American Health Organization.

“We are not in a good place right now with COVID,” he told The Tribune yesterday.

“I think we have reached the point where we ought to be tightening restrictions. How tight? I think that would best be decided by recommendations of health, plus business, plus government, but certainly tighter than it is now.

“We also need to make sure that we are enforcing whatever it is that we tighten, because it makes no sense to tighten if we are not going back to make sure that someone didn’t loose it ten minutes later. That metaphor I used deliberately because we are pretty good at making laws, but we are not good at adhering to or enforcing them.”

With health officials previously confirming COVID-19 variants are in the country, Dr Sands said this is concerning considering the country’s proximity to Florida.

“We have heard from the ministry’s press conference that there is indeed, if not a concern, that there is evidence of variants in The Bahamas now,” he said. “What the exact variant or variants are, I certainly do not know because I have not seen that presented.

“This is such a moving target that unless this (is) something being done in real time, daily, weekly, that whatever report you have from a month ago is now outdated. That has been the experience around the world. Certainly what is very concerning is that we live in proximity to a state in the United States that has the highest number of variants of any state in the United States and that is Florida.

“We have people moving back and forth between South Florida and The Bahamas on a regular basis. So it is reasonable to assume that The Bahamas probably parallels to some degree what is happening in South Florida.”

He also referred to the fact there is now a prevalence of younger people being infected with COVID and a prevalence in COVID-related deaths of people under the age of 60 as well.

“What we have also seen in The Bahamas has been a trend where the patients that are being affected and infected with COVID by younger people – people in their 30s and 40s and some in their 20s,” Dr Sands said. “We are now seeing a surge in COVID in The Bahamas with a number of cases with severity of illness, a number of people hospitalised.

“It is not good on the ground when you look at the public or private facilities that manage COVID patients. They are incredibly busy right now. And, the clinical problems are very, very challenging. We have seen an increase in deaths, but we have also seen an increase in deaths in younger people.

“I’ve been saying this for the last four weeks. We have a problem. If you look at the number of cases in January, February, March… if you add them up, they don’t equal the amount of cases we had in April. May seems to be on a pretty good pace as well. So after cases come hospitalisations. After hospitalisations come deaths and they lag so there is an offset in terms of the expectations.”

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, there were 46 new cases of COVID-19 reported for Sunday: 17 males and 29 females. Another death was also reported: an 85-year-old New Providence man who died on May 9, bringing the number of deaths to 214. Twenty-six additional deaths under investigation. Fifty-eight people were in hospital with COVID-19 at last report.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in The Bahamas is 10,908.

carltonr61 3 years ago

Good guy bad guy. He trying to make Minnis say 'no way' to make him him seem humane and a person with compassion in his heart. If Minnis had agreed to lock us down he would have already done so, remember he had no problems closing food stores in the middle of the night to starve us. Just line us up and do us, we give up and have nothing more to loose.

DDK 3 years ago

😜😜😜. Why don't these guys and gals just let it go and move on!! Enough already!!

tribanon 3 years ago

Sands is certainly sticking it but good to Minnis with all of his scaremongering in the run up to the national general election that he knows Minnis is under considerable pressure to soon announce. And Sands obviously refuses to accept that the State of Florida has ended up being a major success story in how to go about balancing the health and economic risks associated with the Wuhan Virus and its ever increasing number of variants.

I suspect Sands may be watching too much politically motivated MSNBC rubbish because even CNN is now finally acknowledging that there's no need for mask wearing outdoors because transmission rates of the Wuhan Virus and its variants are so low outdoors due to, among other things, the UV radiation in sunlight. And health authorities around the world are now in general agreement that transmission rates are highest indoors in more confined and less well ventillated spaces. One thing is for sure, Sands like Minnis, has proven that medical doctors are usually bereft of the essential qualities and charateristics required of a good political leader.

ohdrap4 3 years ago

We will be locked down in about 6 to 8 weeks.

But I will be angry if the tourists are cavorting without masks and Ibam locked down.

I cannot afford to be locked down and have already suffered non covid medical consequences for lack of healtg care during these lockdowns.

Glad I did not get vaccinated. They cannot even put a bloody form on a website.

tribanon 3 years ago

Sorry to hear about your "non covid medical consequences." Wishing you all the best.

stillwaters 3 years ago

😂😂😂

JokeyJack 3 years ago

I can think of some loose screws that need tightening.

carltonr61 3 years ago

Whit Monday coming. The scrooge is smiling and warming his hands. LOCKDOWN.

WETHEPEOPLE 3 years ago

A bunch of crock its time for us to move and and learn to live with covid, because its not going anywhere time soon.. sands needs to shut his mouth and stay inside with his windows closed if hes afraid. You want tourist come here yet want tighten restrictions, like havent we been playing this game of wackamole long enough now. I hope next election he has to get a real job, so he can see how the average person feels, and not just collecting a fat government cheque with all the toppings

Emilio26 3 years ago

WETHEPEOPLE do you realize the bahamas is experiencing a third wave of COVID-19 and do you also acknowledge that cases are at an all time high? This is bad especially for a small country like us to have so many cases of the Wuhan Virus. Our healthcare system is at a breaking point of total collapse and kids in the public a d private schools are coming down with the virus because people aren't following rules of social distancing and mask wearing.

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