HEALTH Minister Dr Michael Darville. Photo Donavan McIntosh/Tribune staff
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH Minister Dr Michael Darville says health officials are looking at tightening restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to skyrocket in the country.
The country recorded 521 cases on Monday as hospitalisation numbers increased to 118 with six people now in the intensive care unit.
“We are very concerned with the number,” Dr Darville told reporters before a Cabinet meeting yesterday. “As a matter of fact our team at the Ministry of Health (is) reviewing some of the protocols. The Bahamian people could rest assured that the circumstances that (are) at the hospital, we are working diligently to ensure that patients who do come in, whether it is for COVID, or for other reasons, are able to get services and we’re doing the necessary adjustments to bring in the necessary staff to keep the services up and going.”
Asked about restrictions, he added: “We’re looking at it. What we’re concerned about like every country in the world, when we begin to see signs of exponential growth spread, we have to look at the protocols as it relates to people coming close to proximity to one another and make some adjustments.
“We intend to do so but we are watching the numbers. That 800-plus number I think was on Friday and that is of great concern to us. Some of the discussions will be taken today in Cabinet.”
He was referring to the country’s single day record of 818 new cases, which were recorded on January 7.
Dr Darville said as of yesterday, between 160 to 180 healthcare workers were out of the system.
He also said people have responded aggressively to the government’s free testing programme.
“For us the threshold was over 400,” he said. “We are pleased with the way how the programme is going and it is a pilot programme and that pilot programme gives us a clear indication of what the level of community spread is in country and so far the results are indicating that even though there is community spread it is not as bad as we initially anticipated at this time.
“Over 1,000 antigen tests were done at the Kendal Isaacs Gym and the other was the Melia and the results in terms of positives were not as high as we initially anticipated. I can’t give that result right now.”
Health officials warn that antigen tests are particularly less sensitive at identifying the Omicron variant, especially among asymptomatic people.
Dr Darville said officials are working to include antigen test results in the information shared with the public.
“Antigen test results are not a diagnostic test,” he said. “They are screening tests. In our new digital platform we will definitely take into consideration reporting of symptomatic antigen positive cases. That is still being worked on. Our digital platform is being constructed…this will give the computer software technicians the tools necessary to incorporate some of our medical algorithms to ensure that our testing and contact tracing and real time reporting is consistent with regulations so that we do not have contamination of false negatives.”
Dr Darville said the government’s programme to incentivise vaccination uptake, which included cash prizes of $500 and in some cases more, has not been as successful as officials expected.
“We’ve seen some increase in vaccine uptake,” he said. “We thought that the incentive programme through social mobilisation we would’ve seen more individuals come out to be vaccinated and once again we tell the Bahamian people one of your greatest tools in the toolbox is vaccination and when we look at the cases at the hospital the majority of admitted cases for COVID are unvaccinated.”
Comments
whogothere 2 years, 3 months ago
Meanwhile there are only 6 people in the icu. Ministry of health still haven’t expressed how many of other hospitalizations are from or with COVID…nearly one third of all the countries cases occurred in the last 4 weeks but only 0.5% of the deaths…less the than 5% icu admissions…it’s done - stop - stop testing unless people have symptoms, underlying conditions or entering proximity of those at risk…alternatively ignore case counts…policy has gotta be ground in something else - kids in school now. And stop the rubbish restrictions… please
stillwaters 2 years, 3 months ago
Make sure Doctors Hospital discloses the results, of their massive amount of rapid tests, to the public too. Let's do a better job of being transparent and seeing the whole covid picture.
carltonr61 2 years, 3 months ago
Contact tracing with 100% of your population infected makes a lot of sense.
Emilio26 2 years, 3 months ago
carltonr61 so it seems like you're against mass testing period but let me ask you this, If we weren't testing people for COVID-19 as far back as early 2020 when the pandemic first hit our shores do you think we would've
JokeyJack 2 years, 3 months ago
It's so funny both here and in the USA watching the media dance around the issue of WHY people are not wanting to be vaccinated. They can't allow the reason to be broadvast because then others will be informed, so they talk nonsense like "rural areas" LOL.
tribanon 2 years, 3 months ago
The corrupt Davis-led PLP administration needs to be told by the public to go fly a kite.
ted4bz 2 years, 3 months ago
They will "lie" us all into the grave if we let them. Between the false so call vaccine shot and the false reason for restriction, GIVE ME THE RESTRICTIONS, please, thanks, I'll GLADLY TAKE IT with a 😊.
Proguing 2 years, 3 months ago
Professor Udi Qimron, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University
Ministry of Health, it’s time to admit failure
In the end, the truth will always be revealed, and the truth about the coronavirus policy is beginning to be revealed. When the destructive concepts collapse one by one, there is nothing left but to tell the experts who led the management of the pandemic – we told you so.
Two years late, you finally realize that a respiratory virus cannot be defeated and that any such attempt is doomed to fail. You do not admit it, because you have admitted almost no mistake in the last two years, but in retrospect it is clear that you have failed miserably in almost all of your actions, and even the media is already having a hard time covering your shame.
You refused to admit that the infection comes in waves that fade by themselves, despite years of observations and scientific knowledge. You insisted on attributing every decline of a wave solely to your actions, and so through false propaganda “you overcame the plague.” And again you defeated it, and again and again and again.
You refused to admit that mass testing is ineffective, despite your own contingency plans explicitly stating so (“Pandemic Influenza Health System Preparedness Plan, 2007”, p. 26).
You refused to admit that recovery is more protective than a vaccine, despite previous knowledge and observations showing that non-recovered vaccinated people are more likely to be infected than recovered people. You refused to admit that the vaccinated are contagious despite the observations. Based on this, you hoped to achieve herd immunity by vaccination — and you failed in that as well.
You insisted on ignoring the fact that the disease is dozens of times more dangerous for risk groups and older adults, than for young people who are not in risk groups, despite the knowledge that came from China as early as 2020.
You refused to adopt the “Barrington Declaration”, signed by more than 60,000 scientists and medical professionals, or other common sense programs. You chose to ridicule, slander, distort and discredit them. Instead of the right programs and people, you have chosen professionals who lack relevant training for pandemic management (physicists as chief government advisers, veterinarians, security officers, media personnel, and so on).
You have not set up an effective system for reporting side effects from the vaccines, and reports on side effects have even been deleted from your Facebook page.
Doctors avoid linking side effects to the vaccine, lest you persecute them as you did with some of their colleagues.
Cont: https://peckford42.wordpress.com/2022...">https://peckford42.wordpress.com/2022...
Emilio26 2 years, 3 months ago
Proguing do you have a PHD or are you a medical doctor to give any advice on what people should do recover from this deadly virus that has killed over 3 million people worldwide and has killed over 700 people in the Bahamas since 2020? As me for me I don't listen to conspiracy theories being circulated on social media or in the community. I listen to scientist and health professionals who have studied these things and who know what they're doing.
ohdrap4 2 years, 3 months ago
The fella might not have a Phd, but "Professor Udi Qimron," does.
The recent probes in the US Senate have shiwn that Fauci and his coven engaged in massive discredit campaing against respected scientists.
Apparently the campaign trickled down to you but the best you can do is to discredit us gupies if social media.
tribanon 2 years, 3 months ago
Seems like they don't come too much more imbecilic and bogus than you @Emilio2bits. lol
John 2 years, 3 months ago
Some hospitals and nursing homes in the US are pondering allowing health workers who test positive but are asymptomatic to return to work or stay on their jobs. This in an effort to reduce Starr shortages. The idea is being met with some opposition that includes concerns by healthy workers, concerns by patients that didn’t test positive and by families of these patients.
whogothere 2 years, 3 months ago
Spain just became the first country to try call off the dogs - treat covid like a flu...it's time..
https://fortune.com/2022/01/11/flu-om...">https://fortune.com/2022/01/11/flu-om...
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