mercelinedahlregis

An Exuma-based doctor has died from COVID-19, as health officials press for Bahamians to become vaccinated.

Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis, Chair National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee disclosed the death of Charles Wildgoose, a doctor in Exuma at the Di-ara Comprehensive Medical Center.

Dahl-Regis said she was informed of his death before speaking at the health update on Sunday afternoon.

Wildgoose was among two other healthcare workers infected with the virus and hospitalized, which included another doctor and a nurse.

Dahl-Regis stated that none of the healthcare workers were vaccinated, included Wildgoose.

Chief Medical Officer Pearl McMillan said just over 50 percent of healthcare workers are vaccinated.

“We have a long way to go. This is of grave concern as it relates to getting healthcare workers vaccinated,” McMillan said.

Speaking directly to healthcare workers, she said, “We must, we must colleagues, we must become vaccinated.”

Meantime, Exuma MP Chester Cooper described Wildgoose as a “calm and caring physician and a progressive entrepreneur who consistently wanted to expand and improve medical care in Exuma.”

FNM candidate for Exuma Jenny Isaacs-Dotson said Wildgoose’s death will have a “great impact on the Exuma community.”

The Bahamas was supplemented with 3,496 doses of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine which arrived on Wednesday evening.

This comes as only a limited supply was available for individuals receiving the second dose of the jab.

The doses were a donation from the British Overseas Territories of Montserrat and Anguilla, with the assistance of United Kingdom High Commissioner Sarah Dickson.

Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis, chair of the National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee and special health adviser to the Prime Minister was on hand to receive the donation at Jet Nassau FBO at the Lynden Pindling International Airport.

“The vaccines are a welcome addition to our current vaccine supplies and will be used to continue the administration of second doses.

“We express our deep appreciation to the governments and people of Montserrat and Anguilla and the United Kingdom for this much-needed support.”

Dr. Dahl-Regis also thanked the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for helping to coordinate the effort.

The big picture

The country is experiencing an uptick in COVID-19 cases as vaccine supplies remain limited.

Ninety-five new cases were recorded on Tuesday, increasing the total number of cases in the country to 13,781, with 1264 active cases.

The upsurge in cases has placed a strain on the Princess Margaret Hospital as the country’s premier medical institution said it was implementing new measures “to manage the institution’s already strained services as a result of a surge in COVID-19 cases presenting at the Emergency Department.”

In a press statement, the hospital said, “The new measures are designed to reduce the spread of the virus among patients and staff and to account for an increase in the number of persons having to be admitted.”

Hospital officials said the overwhelming majority of individuals stricken with the virus are unvaccinated individuals.

Health Minister Renward Wells said the country is seeing a “three-fold increase in cases,” as it battles the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wells, speaking in the House of Assembly on Wednesday morning, said the scientific data shows that the country is experiencing another surge.

“Our data clearly shows that we are in another surge. We are noticing a pattern that was seen at the beginning of the second wave.”

Why it matters

As the country continues its vaccine roll-out, health officials are seeing an increase in the number of cases on a daily basis over the last two weeks. New infections are believed to be driven by international travel and a relaxed adherence to the health measures.

Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis, special health advisor to the Office of the Prime Minister, and chair of the COVID-19 Vaccine National Committee stated at a press conference on Tuesday, that officials have been identified variants of the disease from the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa, and most recently from India.

“These variants spread more easily and are infecting younger age groups. The cases may be more severe,” Dahl-Regis said.

What Health Minister is saying

“…we saw how COVID-19 cases slowed down during the second wave at the end of October, beginning of November 2020 with no definitive end. We maintained a steady-state for some months.”

“However, by the end of February beginning of March, the picture changed, and in recent weeks there has been a three-fold increase in cases, which is almost 300%, from that time to now,” Well said.

The big picture

New Providence is the epicenter and the greatest contributor to the total COVID-19 statistics in the country, which means almost 60% of new cases are in the capital.

There has been a quieting of new cases on Eleuthera, Abaco and Grand Bahama compared to prior weeks.

Opposition leader Philip Davis said he nor members of the Progressive Liberal Party will attend a COVID-19 special meeting planned with Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, PAHO representative Dr. Esther de Gourville, and the Government’s Health Consultant Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis–although they were invited.

The special meeting, announced in Dr. Minnis’ national address to the nation on Sunday, was scheduled for today, as the government strategizes a plan to combat the exponential increase of COVID-19 cases in New Providence and Abaco.

Why is the PLP not attending?

In a press conference, Davis revealed that he refuses to attend as he wants all PLP members to be in attendance. He said the invitation was only extended to three members of his organization, although Minnis said, “the leader of the opposition and his team have been invited.”

Davis said, “Three persons are not my team.”

Davis referred to this as conflicting information, thus he rearranged a separate meeting with PAHO for next Monday, October 12th.

What this means

Dr. Minnis in his address on Sunday, hinted at a possible lockdown for areas of the Bahamas where the number of cases continues to rise, adding that the meeting with key stakeholders will outline specific strategies for the way forward.

Minnis purposed that after the meetings, he will brief the nation on the recommendations of our health experts, especially on the way forward for New Providence and Abaco.

However, if Davis and his team are absent from the meetings, they miss an opportunity to problem-solve, discuss, and come to conclusions by collaborating together, particularly if a national lockdown is announced.

Featured Image: The Tribune