CMO warns of forced ‘quarantine’ danger
(CNS): Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee said the Public Health Department has not enforced hard-line quarantine arrangements for those who test positive for COVID-19 in the community to avoid the danger of scaring those who might be sick underground. Dr Lee said it was critical that people with symptoms are honest about their condition, and quarantines can scare people into lying about their health, posing a greater risk than managing their isolation at home.
Over the last week or so, some people have noted apparent inconsistencies in how people are being treated in regards to isolation, quarantine and the management of positive cases. But like many countries, Cayman continues to grapple with a shortage of testing kits and working out which protocols might work better than others to protect the community from this dangerous virus.
With almost no country or government getting everything right, Dr Lee gave a more in depth explanation at Friday’s press briefing on why managing people within the community is currently considered less dangerous than enforcing government sanctioned quarantine, though this will, however, be a condition for those wanting to come back from London next week.
“What we have endeavoured to do is to make it as easy as possible for people to come forward and to report their symptoms… to give them the best treatment possible and also check… if they might have this disease which has the threat of ravaging the whole community,” he said.
“What we would hate to do is to push people underground for the fear that they would not want to go somewhere. So we are trying to keep it as open as we can to encourage people to come forward for testing,” Dr Lee added.
While there will be critics and supporters of every decision made, currently the authorities here believe that the ‘stay home’ message, social distancing and hygiene protocols remain the most important factors in curtailing the spread.
The results of another eight samples tested, all connected to other positive cases, were announced on Friday, and just one was positive, indicating that the spread of the virus remains gradual at present.
More importantly, only one patient has been hospitalized with COVID-19 and related respiratory problems, but that patient is not on a ventilator. No one else has presented at the hospital with serious symptoms of this coronavirus. While some of those who have tested positive and are isolating at home are showing symptoms, all are mild to moderate, Dr Lee said.
He said that the students who have been staying in the government’s isolation hotel are all going to be tested before they are released. Dr Lee said that given the resources put into managing this group, where the individuals had voluntarily agreed to help protect the community, it made sense to test them all before they were returned to their families.
He explained that the tests would be done in batches, as the 14 days of isolation for each group of students ended over the course of this weekend. This had already begun and the results would be back within 24 hours, he said, and as soon as each student tested negative, they would be released straight to their families. If any were to test positive, then the students would be managed on an individual basis.
Dr Lee said that a group of ten essential workers who all returned to Cayman from overseas trips around two weeks ago and have also been isolation, would also be tested, enabling them to go back to work.
Another 14 healthcare workers were quarantined on 23 March after coming into contact with the patient who was the first to test positive here without a travel history, though the test remained inconclusive until yesterday. These workers are all still in isolation, but none of them have exhibited symptoms and are all doing well.
With the anticipated arrival of 1,700 kits from the UK on Tuesday, the Public Health Department plans to make testing available for all healthcare workers and front-line essential staff.
Dr Lee said that people who have been in self-isolation at home after returning to Cayman just before the borders were closed will not be tested at the end of their isolation periods. He said this was because they have already been in the community with their families. Those among them who have displayed symptoms have been tested already, as have those they had contact with. However, they will continue to be obligated to abide by the stay-home restrictions like everyone else.
The issues around testing could change dramatically next week for Cayman; Governor Martyn Roper has said that the 200,000 kits ordered from South Korea will be ready for pick up on Wednesday as a means of delivery has now been identified.
See full press briefing on CIGTV below:
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Health, Medical Health
How bout throwing some ventilators in there? We have the funds from Aldart’s “work permit for whoever can pay” surpluses. And of course he’s cancelled appeal for nefarious port deal so we aren’t incurring those legal costs anymore.
I don’t understand why the Government don’t just source another hotel and require positive-confirmed individuals to stay there (with essentials provided for) until they have recovered.
Lets face it, how can we really be sure that these individuals are staying at home 24/7? When they have infected their entire household and needs groceries or food, what do you think they are going to do?, someone is going to have to go to the supermarket, at that point, they will encounter other shoppers, not to mention its now airborne.
The reality is, some people are selfish, careless and have no regard for others; you can’t be too sure that some of these individuals won’t go out to public places with other individuals and take necessary precautions.
Case in point: they had a positive confirmed case announced today that, has no travel history, and not related to any previous confirmed case. So I wonder if they figure exactly how that could’ve possibly happened… clearly contact from someone who has it (probably at the supermarket or the bank) and did not know.
Another issue I have is It was mentioned at a previous briefing that the students who are at the hotels will be tested and even if they are positive for the virus, they will have the option to return home with their families. I do not quite understand the logic in that, especially since they were isolated for fear of possibly having it to begin with. Why jeopardize their families by allowing them to go home and possibly passing the virus onto them?
How can you truly suppress the spread of this virus, but yet still allow infected persons to remain in the community?
Can somebody tell this Minister of Health Seymour to be quiet and stop wuth his so called poems. He is more annoying than reassuring
2.55pm What about his “language lessons”. He invented a new type of German pronunciation that sounded more like Urdu. Can we put him on the children’s channel?.
The Banking Association..need to do better than opening just one of the branches of each bank…this causes unnecessary crowding…example…persons from the Eastern area have to all come to one branch or another. They should open a few more branches them and keep at the same hours as now.
Germany’s Minister of Finance commits suicide. What happens when politicians and doctors (two groups that notoriously know nothing of finance make promise what they can’t deliver.)
“His main concern was whether he could manage to fulfill the huge expectations of the population, especially in terms of financial aid,” Bouffier said on Sunday. “He clearly couldn’t see any way out. He was desperate, and so he left us.”
Great Depression (1929-1932): there were 22 suicides for every 100,000 people
Wow. That would be 15 people here.
Wow, I can imagine the pressure he was under.
Better to lock down than to die
Those aren’t the only two options.
Only one positive but from only 8 results, nothing for the Governor to trumpet about. How many tests do we have still pending?.
Check gov@ky/coronavirus it provides daily updates of all the numbers.
But it’s okay to treat the students like terrorists?
What a selfish comment. You can’t expect everyone to be ok with getting infected just because you can’t stay in a room for a few days! Jeez!
Turns out none of them had the virus. Great work Sherlock.
Complete lock down with testing and quarantine those who are positive. We should have a grip then. It’s either you shutdown or not. Shutdown is only part of the equation. Cayman will well
Thank you Dr John Lee. Your quarantine arrangements have so far kept all of us on Cayman safe and sound. Keep up the great work.
Can we find some middle ground? When I provide statistics of death’s versus population, I get the general feedback, yes moron, but the virus is contagious. As if, this fact is unfamiliar to anyone. Yes it’s contagious, it’s highly contagious, but here’s the difference. When someone has heart attack they are rushed to hospital, one of two things happen. The person dies, or recovers IN hospital. There is no third option. But when someone has the virus, what is the predominant prescription? Send the person home to his family. Now, because it is highly contagious, what’s likely to happen next? Do the good doctors who are trying to “save lives” not know this? Certainly the doctor isn’t thinking, well that moron’s family isn’t necessary. The point is, IF it were as deadly as the media is making it out to be, the prescription would NOT be to send the person home. We can all agree, on two things. One that social distancing is the best weapon against the virus spreading. Two, that the elderly need to be protected as they are most likely to not be in the best of shape. But, I take issue with the scaremongering, as if the virus in and of it self is a death sentence. If it were a cause of death, doctors would NOT be sending people home.
For someone who continually asks so many questions, you sure are uninformed..
Is that an answer?
Perhaps because persons of your superior knowledge tend to insult rather than inform.
Not read the whole piece but Dr Lee is looking tired from a few weeks ago. So all those selfish assholes.. Sit home!! Or Commissioner of Police lock em up!
its here in the community ..accept it. now protect the people most at risk…..
and don’t quarantine 99% of the population who will not need medical intervention………
Read the whole article looking for the current number of cases in the Cayman Islands. Couldn’t find it. Same for Compass. I know you are all getting fatigued, but if we miss the press conference we are depending on you guys to give us the updates. And at the top of the story please. I checked Radio Cayman and they were a little better.
I had to check World Meter to Learn devastating figure of 29.
CNS: We can’t promise to put all information in every article. However, the stats you want are readily available on the HSA and CIG coronavirus pages, which are promoted constantly. I’ve put all relevant links in CNS Local Life and added a direct link to the stats page on the CIG page. I’m not sure if they maintain the link when they update, but if that link doesn’t work, just go to the CIG page. The link is clearly marked there.
I have a suggestion,
We should do a total lock down of the country for at least 2 months!
This will not guarantee that we (as a country) will escape the affects of COVID19 but it will increase our chances that we will not have any more virus related deaths. And then we can all live a lot easier. Of course our economy will suffer but we will be alive to enjoy our lives like it was in the 70”s
Forget all the things we take for granted now….trip to Miami to go shopping …forget it
Enjoy all the imported foods and all the restaurants we enjoy now…forget it
New cars, big houses, even TV forget them.
And all the luxuries we enjoy now….forget them. Our economy will be set back 40 or 50 years….That’s for the majority of us…not those in their ivory towers of course. Our honorable members of society who will be drawing their large guaranteed pensions wont suffer just you an I! But, at least we will can be proud of the fact we quarantined when we were told to!
Although the life you suggest is altogether not unappealing it’s not a solution to the problem. There are only two solutions, a cure or let it run its course. Logic dictates that all isolation does is defer the problem while the virus hovers around us. Indeed, the virus doesn’t go away! Thus what isolation guarantees is destruction of our economies. I’m not being materialistic, but I can’t help but imagine how much property, vehicles and businesses the banks are about to foreclose on. I’m also cognizant of the fact that it is those people in their ivory towers making decisions. Because they will be alright, what does it matter how much destruction they cause? The rich get richer ….
Stop with your poor/working class selfish problems…ok?
Let them eat cake.
Sarcasm, right?
Everyone must be tested to find out who has what. Then the infected will have to be quarantined. The hell with human rights as if you do not know who are the carriers then the whole island will wind up being infected. Suspend elections for at least a year and that way the politics will be removed from the decisions and when all is good then the leaders will look like winners.
Sorry I accidentally liked your comment. Your meds must be out.
You do realize that it’s the people who have not had it who will have to continue in lockdown as they have no antibodies and that it will be the people who had it and recovered who will be allowed to move about freely? So the irony is that the ones who haven’t had COVID and who are calling for quarantine will be the ones quarantined indefinitely whilst the people who have had it and recovered will be able to move freely about the island ?
Right. We can do mass transshipment of people. Those with COVID antibodies (the minority for the immediate future) to the Brac and the rest here on Grand. Then we can reopen the Brac first, putting the international airport to use, claim the mantle of ‘first COVID finished’ and welcome adventure tourists. (Get sick? Get evacuated, sine you brought it with you. Probably.)
Isn’t it best for everyone under 65 to get it anyway?
Absolutely. But politicians can’t be “heroes” under that scenario. They think short term. Used to be four years was the max. Now they can’t think past four weeks.
What a stupid comment. Its not just a risk to old people. The people with poor immunity and underlying health risks are also vulnerable to this. Not just the old.
So what your are saying is we already know exactly who needs to be isolated.
Good point. And guess what, each and every one of those persons is already known to someone. We don’t have to guess who they are. We don’t have to test them. We don’t have to look at them suspiciously. Isolate them, protect them, save them.
100%! Only way to build up immunity until a cure is found. Too many politicians are trying to play God! Saying I want no deaths sounds heroic, but deaths are guaranteed. Worse the potential of indirect deaths can exceed those of direct deaths. We’ve had two. One who had heart failure and one driving to assist someone fearing she had symptoms.
Sounds like the numbnut “herd immunity” idea.
How did that work?
MANY YOUNGER HAVE DIED.
This is more or less what is happening. No ones’ lockdown does anything but slow the spread. If you’re not in isolation you are going to be exposed. I’m 70 and think I had it in January, but who knows since I can’t get tested without showing bad symptoms.
If you are correct, that means the virus was here in January, February and March.
Maybe best for everyone else if you go ahead and get it anyway. But please don’t pass it on.
The positive numbers should increase with the increase in testing and people showing low to moderate symptoms. I guess we will be locking down for a very long time. Oh well
Oh well? It’s not a self sustaining island!
Dr Lee should be a national hero.
Dwayne Seymour should be a national disgrace.
Why? Did he invent a vaccine or something?
I like his Rolex though.
Just remember that it was Dwayne Seymour that followed JA Minister of Health in turning away the cruise ships but was UNDERMINED by the Deputy Premier who let that ship with 2100 cruisers dock on Feb 29 which was to later provide our first case and death of Covid19 and shut down one of our hospitals…all because and I quote from Forbes, he “values lives more than money”.
Our next Premier Moses
“should” no…”is” a national disgrace, “YES”.
This man is Minister for Health yet he carries on as if he is “Minster of Religion” or “Minister of Jingles”. I get the bit about the “shout out” in different languages – he probably thinks he is “speaking in tongues”.
And in anticipation of the wing-nut, high-stepping, thumpers – NO!! Behaving like a minister of religion is NOT good enough, not appropriate and a waste of time, space and oxygen….. What part of “Health” does he not understand? Comment on Health matters only, PLEASE!