The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville says officials remain cautiously optimistic about an end to the fourth wave of COVID-19 in the country.

The minister said while it appeared so it was still too soon to tell based on the ever-evolving nature of the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, a Baha Mar official disclosed that 72 percent of its staff have been fully vaccinated. The ministry released the January 27 dashboard on Friday which showed 43 new cases in the country.

Asked if this was an indication that the country is at the end of the fourth wave or if testing had slowed, Dr Darville said: "Well what it is is a combination. We’re watching the signals around the world and many signals are pointing in the direction that we maybe at a point where we are at the peak or we’re coming down, but for us in The Bahamas we remain very, I should say, cautiously optimistic about signs that we see.

“This is a very tricky variant and even though we're seeing signs where it’s going down there’s always the possibility. COVID-19 has shown us that anything is possible and for us we must look at all the various scenarios. If it goes down, thank the Lord. If it begins to go up, we need to activate protocols in order to push back.”

Dr Darville made the comments at the Melia Nassau Beach Hotel where he thanked the team there for vaccinating many people in The Bahamas. Friday was the site’s last day administering vaccines.

The minister said it was his understanding that some 20,000 vaccinations have taken place at the site.

“We understand that it was a very instrumental effort and an awesome corporate partner that has brought us to where we are with our vaccination efforts in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. We understand there is a long way to go and we are also pleading to other corporate entities throughout the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to partner with us as we begin now to get people vaccinated throughout the country,” he commented.

Robert Sands, senior vice-president of government and external affairs at Baha Mar, highlighted how the site has been beneficial to the nation’s vaccination campaign.

He said: “We believe that vaccinations are the key for us combating COVID-19. In fact, by example, we are proud to say our vaccination rate amongst our associates are running close to 72 percent. In no small measure having this facility in close proximity to our resort allowed us the opportunity to push the vaccination rate at Baha Mar.

“Community is one of the pillars of our foundation and certainly where the community is good to us it is important that we are good to the community and our partnership in this vaccination programme signifies our commitment for supporting the people of The Bahamas, the government of The Bahamas in all of these community related ventures.”

While the site will no longer be open there will be various pop-up sites this weekend, January 29-30. These include the Mall at Marathon, Masons Addition, Super Value and Quality Supermarkets Golden Gates, and Christie Park.