|
From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Bahamas Information Services Updates
CONTRIBUTION of The Honourable Renward R. Wells, M.P. Minister of Health COVID-19 Update HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS 21ST APRIL, 2021 Mr. Speaker, Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has reached an all-time high. COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to surge. The world is now seeing the highest rate of infection. The Director-General Dr. Tedros Adnonim Ghebreyesus, in a press conference on Friday, 16th April, 2021, reported that “around the world cases and deaths are continuing to increase at worrying rates.” He continued, “globally the number of new cases per week has nearly doubled over the past two months. This is approaching the highest rate of infection that we have seen so far during the pandemic. Some countries that had previously avoided widespread transmission are now seeing steep increased infections.” This picture is also true for the Region of the Americas, and even closer to home, the CARICOM member states. Mr. Speaker, The Bahamas is no exception. 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. Yes, Mr. Speaker, 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. Mr. Speaker, New Providence continues to be the epicenter and the greatest contributor to the total COVID-19 burden in-country. Of the approximately one thousand nine hundred (1,901) new cases reported between the beginning of 2021 to now, one thousand and seventy-nine (1,079) of these have been in New Providence. This translates to almost sixty percent (60%) of new cases being allocated to the total from New Providence.
Mr. Speaker, There has been a quieting of new cases on islands such as Eleuthera, Abaco and Grand Bahama compared to prior weeks. In Abaco for example, 12.5 new cases on average each week were being reported for the last two months. Last week Abaco reported one (1) new case. Mr. Speaker, This quieting is in part due to special missions into these islands. From 30th March – 1st April, 2021, a health team was dispatched to Eleuthera to assess and intensify contract tracing activities there, with special emphasis on Harbour Island. Similar activity occurred on the island of Abaco and a team is currently in Grand Bahama. The team visiting Eleuthera completed the following tasks
...TO CONTINUE SEE ATTACHED
|
