House of Assembly Communication
The Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Wednesday, 21 April 2021
Mr. Speaker:
The Government of The Bahamas has continued to carefully monitor the health data on the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yesterday, Dr. Merceline Dahl-Regis, Special Health Advisor to the Prime Minister and Chair National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee, and other medical officials, gave a press conference and presentation on the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic in The Bahamas.
Dr. Dahl-Regis is one of the leading experts in the Americas in her field.
She is internationally-recognized for her many decades of service and work in public health.
The Bahamas is most fortunate to have her expertise and guidance.
The Government and the Bahamian people are pleased to have her wise counsel.
I commend her remarks and the data she offered to the nation.
It is most unfortunate that some individuals seem not to understand or appreciate the medical science and data.
It is quite possible that after yesterday’s press conference that some may once again publicly ask for the very science and data that the medical officials just put out in detail, including through various slides and graphs.
Some individuals have the odd habit of asking “where’s the science” right after the medical experts present the science to the whole country.
Throughout the pandemic we have carried the briefings on the science by the medical team on TV and via social media.
The data on cases is sent out daily.
The data and information are made public for all to see.
Mr. Speaker:
I wish to recall a number of critical areas from yesterday’s presentation.
Dr. Dahl-Regis noted that: “We are in a race against time [and that] the pandemic is not over.
“COVID-19 is continuously presenting new challenges. At this time vaccinations alone will not get us out of this pandemic.
“We must simultaneously address the increase in cases, the identification of resistant strains and adherence to the public health measures if we are to win this race and return to a sense of normalcy.”
Dr. Dahl-Regis further noted:
“As we seek to increase access to the COVID-19 vaccine and the number of vaccinations administered, we have also been observing an increase in some numbers on a daily basis, over the last two weeks.
“New infections are being driven by international travel and a relaxed adherence to the health measures.
“The emergence of variant strains of COVID-19 is of significant concern. New strains have been identified 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.”
Mr. Speaker:
Our region of the Americas is having particular difficulty.
An active emergency exists in South America with numerous countries battling extreme conditions.
There are surges in the Caribbean, and increased cases and hospitalizations in parts of North America.
Beyond the Americas, in Europe numerous countries are still under heavy restrictions.
Some are battling variant-driven upswings that began months ago.
New surges are also occurring in some parts of Southeast Asia.
The broad global uptick and increase in cases is affecting The Bahamas.
Analysis is underway to give us more information as to their role in our current circumstance.
Mr. Speaker:
Dr. Dahl-Regis reported: “We have been actively monitoring genomic testing from the 13th of March to the 17th of April.
“The results, as reported by the National Reference Lab, are showing evidence of an increasing number of genomic deletions. This is indicative of variant strains.”
She noted that: “We must return to heightened surveillance and contact tracing if we are going to win this race in the shortest period of time [and that] we have to accelerate the uptake in vaccines.
“To help control the surge in new cases, we must test, isolate, trace, treat and vaccinate. All cases and contacts of cases must be identified to bring the spread of COVID-19 under control.
“As part of the contact tracing process, private lab reporting requirements are also being enforced to ensure that information reaches health officials in a complete accurate timely manner.
“At the same time, we are moving to accelerate the vaccination program throughout The Bahamas.”
Mr. Speaker:
I met with representatives of the testing laboratories yesterday morning.
I reminded them of the requirement to submit COVID-19 test results to the Ministry of Health's surveillance team.
I also reminded them of the fine for not submitting the test results as required. The fine is $20,000.
The requirement to submit data will be tightened for the RT PCR test results being submitted within 24 hours.
There will be stiffer penalties for failure to abide by this requirement.
This is a part of our heightened surveillance strategy to combat the increase in cases.
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