ministryofhealth

Following a decline in reporting COVID-19 cases in the country, one man died from the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, much to the surprise of the public.

The big picture

The pandemic caused a two-year lockdown around the world, and to date, nearly 7 million people have died from the respiratory disease.

Eight hundred forty-six (846) people died from the disease in the Bahamas.

The Bahamas lifted the curfews and lockdowns in 2022 as more people became vaccinated and the World Health Organization declared the disease no longer a global health emergency, which resulted in the reopening of the economy.

Why it matters

The sudden reporting of COVID-19 cases by the Ministry and its announcement of 36 new cases in the last six weeks is a cause for concern and could spell the implementation of mask-wearing under certain conditions.

In the US, a fast-spreading new COVID-19 variant called JN.1 was reported, perhaps driving a new wave in the region.

State of play

The man who died is from Grand Bahama where 11 new cases were reported in the past two weeks, authorities said.

It remains to be seen if any new measures will be implemented to control the spread.

Health Minister Michael Darville absconded blame for the arrival of Holiday Carnival into the country as health officials worry about the increase of COVID-19 cases on the verge of Omicron, the new strain.

Darville faced criticism for permitting the carnival rides, but he said he did not.

The health minister said owners of the Holiday Carnival made an application to his ministry to host the event from December to January. But his ministry only “acknowledged  the application and gave recommendations on how to improve the COVID19 protocols,” adding that the ministry is still awaiting a response from the owners.

The trailers and equipment for the amusement park are set up at Clifford Park, but Darville said his ministry is not responsible for “the importation… of non-medical items.”

At the last parliamentary house sitting, former Prime Minister and Killarney MP Hubert Minnis raised concerns about Carnival since children who represent the largest number of unvaccinated people in the country, will be attracted to the activities.

“Did he get approval from the medical professionals? Because I find it very difficult under these circumstances with such a virulent virus rampant throughout the world, that they would approve such an activity at this particular point in time.”

“Who authorized it to come in?…There has been some breach or violation of protocol with this carnival which is very dangerous under the circumstances of the Omicron virus,” Minnis said.

Darville responded that the proprietors needed to meet additional requirements before “the final decision to be made.”

Darville continued, “I’m unware if those requirements arrived to the committee.” He said as of 1pm on Thursday there was no approval given.

After facing public backlash, Health Minister Renward Wells said he has ordered his driver and personal assistant to return the payments issued to them for working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a public statement, Wells said $1,158.40 was returned to the government.

Wells said he “made no recommendations as to who should receive an honorarium” but the recommendation was made by a select committee in the Ministry of Health.

Why it matters

Wells’ driver and personal assistant received an honorarium payout of $1158.40 issued for non-front line workers.

News circulated social media last week that the pair received payouts while healthcare workers waited to receive their honorarium payouts of $5000. Some healthcare workers have since ‘called in sick’ at the hospitals, in frustration that they were still awaiting the monies promised last year.

The big story

At the height of the pandemic, the government agreed to provide a $5,000 honorarium to frontline workers who provided care to COVID-19 patients from the onset of COVID, from March 19 to June 18; and a $100,000 life insurance policy if workers experience untimely death while serving.

It was an effort to attract a cadre of healthcare workers during the pandemic.

Health officials have reported nine new COVID-19 related deaths on Saturday.

The COVID-19 update released by the Ministry of Health shows that these recent deaths occurred between July 20 and August 3, ranging from age 20 to 74-years-old.

• 20-year-old male of New Providence July 20
• 50-year-old female of New Providence July 20
• 41-year-old male of New Providence July 20
• 54-year-old female of New Providence July 23
• 74-year-old male of New Providence July 29
• 54-year-old female of Eleuthera July 29
• 24-year-old female of New Providence July 29
• 42-year-old male of Berry Island July 29
• 50-year-old female of New Providence August 3

Seven of the deaths occurred in New Providence, one death occurred in The Berry Islands and one was in Eleuthera.

To date, the country has recorded 304 deaths due to the infectious disease. Thirty-five remain under investigation.

This comes as the country battles 118 new cases reported on Sunday–Eighty-five in New Providence; 13 in GB, 6 in Abaco, 13 in Eleuthera, and 1 in Andros.

On Friday, 228 new COVID-19 cases were reported, representing the highest number of cases reported in a single day since the start of the pandemic.

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis is expected to address the nation on Monday at 8 pm in regard to his government’s plans for the current COVID-19 Emergency Order.

Health officials reported 228 new coronavirus cases on Friday, hitting a record number of infections reported in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic.

Statistics released by the Ministry of Health show that this number is historical for the Bahamas and is a reminder that the virus continues to be transmitted.

Health officials said a total of 499 cases were reported between August 1-5. At the same time last week, July 25-29, 558 confirmed cases were reported.

Officials also reported two additional deaths that are being investigated.

Breakdown of new cases

• New Providence  164
• Grand Bahama  11
• Abaco  15
• Bimini and Cat Cay  3
• Eleuthera  20
• Exuma  12
• Andros  3

Twenty of these cases have a history of travel within the last fourteen days.

State of Play

On August 2, the country celebrated Emancipation Day as a public holiday. It is worth noting that when there is a holiday, members of the public may delay being tested for COVID-19 and most laboratory facilities would be closed.

The Ministry said this often results in an increase in the number of confirmed cases reported days following a holiday.

Health officials are warning the public of a fake COVID-19 message circulating social media, purporting to be a request from the Ministry of Health.

The social media message is targeting people who were inoculated with Astra Zeneca, requesting that they share their personal information if they experienced COVID-like symptoms after taking the Astra-Zeneca vaccine in the Bahamas.

In a press statement released on Thursday, the Ministry of Health said it was made “aware of a message circulating on social media purporting to be an urgent and very important request for persons vaccinated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the Bahamas. The message appealed to persons experiencing COVID-like symptoms for more than three days to share personal details and information about the vaccine administered.

“The general public is advised that this message did not originate with the Surveillance Unit of the Ministry of Health, and hence, is not an approved communication.”

Health officials advised the public to seek accurate information only from the Ministry of Health, the Office of the Prime Minister, the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization, and to guard against receiving and sharing misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccine.

Minister of Health Renward Wells assured that the government is working to secure additional vaccines from approved providers, in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

He made the statement on Wednesday, during the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 Update Press Conference.

Wells noted that through PAHO, the Bahamas scheduled to receive an additional 67,200 vaccines through the COVAX Facility.

Why it matters

The Bahamas has received a total of 53,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Out of that, 20,000 doses were received as a gift from the Government of India and 33,600 doses were received through the COVAX Facility with the assistance of the PAHO.

“The government continues to work on all fronts to secure additional vaccines from approved providers,” Minister Wells said.

Driving the news

To date, more than 10,000 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Bahamians and residents. Over 1,000 individuals are being vaccinated per day and health care workers are actively working to increase this number, he added.

Vaccines have been administered at centres in New Providence, Grand Bahama and Eleuthera. Additional centres have opened to include a wider range of individuals namely teachers and staff of schools, the physically disabled, those in the hospitality industry and students and athletes studying abroad.

As of Tuesday, there were 26 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the Bahamas to 9,296. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths now stands at 189.

(BIS Photo/Patrick Hanna)

Health officials are putting fears to rest after international reports circulated that some European countries were temporarily suspending the Astra Zeneca vaccine due to blood clot concerns.

Ministry of Health was quick to address the national concerns that arose after more than 20,000 doses of the vaccine arrived in the country.

The big picture

The AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved by the World Health Organisation. But in recent days, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Austria have temporarily suspended its use because one woman is reported to have died as a result of blood clots sustained purportedly after being inoculated with the vaccine, along with a small group of people developing clots after receiving the vaccine.

• The vaccines received by the Bahamas on Wednesday, 10th March, are different from the batch reportedly used in the affected countries.
• The AstraZeneca vaccine received by The Bahamas has met all of the requirements and standards as outlined in the World Health Organization’s pre-qualification system, which has provided Emergency Use Listing.
• The vaccine has also received Caribbean Regulatory System certification.
• The Ministry of Health assures the public that COVID-19 vaccines received by The Bahamas will continue to meet the stringent regulatory approval standards stated above.

As the country awaits its share of the COVID-19 vaccines, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis announced an appointment of the COVID-19 Vaccine National Consultative Committee to ensure the proper distribution of the vaccine when it becomes available.

In his New Year National Address on Tuesday evening, Minnis said the vaccines will ensure a reopening of the country in the coming months.

The Committee is chaired by Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis, OD, CMG, and is made up of public health experts, and representatives of various sectors, including, religious and community leaders.

Why it matters?

Successful vaccines like Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, and Oxford University-AstraZeneca are now available on the world market.

The Bahamas has already secured vaccines for 20% of the population, through the COVAX Facility and World Health and Pan American Health Organisations.

The Bahamas awaits its share.

Minnis on restrictions and vaccine availability

• Dr. Minnis did not say exactly when the restrictions and curfews will be relaxed, but he said he is targetting the coming months.

“Thankfully, because there are now successful vaccines for COVID-19, our country, and our economy, are set to reopen more fully in the months ahead.

“The end is in sight. Restrictions will end. We will get back to our way of life. Jobs and the economy, are coming back.

• Minnis, aware that variants of COVID-19 have evolved in countries around the world, he said if the variants come into the country, the Bahamian people can expect tighter measures to fight the infection.

“We still have a few more months to go, especially as the pandemic continues to rage, in countries all around us.

“Internationally, more infectious variants of the virus have evolved, and been detected. It is possible, that cases will rise again before vaccines arrive. If this happens, as a Government and people, we will have to return, to some of the measures that worked, to beat back previous waves. Through our experience during the pandemic year, we now know the formula that works,” Minnis said.

The Ministry of Health is setting the record straight following Health Minister Renward Wells’ assertion that the government is making a decision on whether or not students will be administered the COVID-19 vaccine to return to in-person learning.

The Ministry of Health in a statement said definitively, that children will not be given the COVID-19 vaccine.

“No one under the age of 18 years of age, including children in The Bahamas, will be administered the COVID-19 vaccine.”

Why it matters

Renward Wells, in an impromptu press briefing, said officials were in discussion about the administration of the vaccine to students while promising to come back to the Bahamian people with the final decision, acknowledging that some vaccines are required, while others, like the flu vaccines are not required.

The big picture

Many Bahamians are apprehensive about the COVID-19 vaccine since the onset of the pandemic.

What the ministry of health says

• The ministry said “Although the government of the Bahamas has been proactive in securing mechanisms that will give the Bahamian people access to this much-needed vaccine, the Ministry of Health underscores that administration of the COVID-19 vaccine is entirely voluntary. In other words, only those who wish to receive the vaccine can avail themselves of it.
• The Ministry further states that it will continue to comport with best practice and international standards on medical and public health matters. This extends to the age recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine administration. From current knowledge, the approved age range for the
  • • • Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is 16 years and older; and
      • Moderna is 18 years and older
• The ministry notes the global scientific clinical trials currently underway to determine/study the safety and efficacy of this vaccine in persons 12 to 17 years of age. We assure the Bahamian people that COVID-19 vaccination among children will not be offered within this sub-population until evidence suggests it is safe to do so, and with the consent of parents and guardians.