About 1,000 people could carry virus
(CNS): The rate of transmission of the coronavirus in the Cayman Islands after around 20% of the population has been tested has led officials to estimate that there are almost 1,000 people carrying COVID-19 that are largely unaware they have it. At Friday’s press briefing, Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee revealed four more positive cases from a batch of 694 results, three of which were community transmissions picked up by the test screening programme.
The fourth sample came from a person who had contact with another positive individual and all of them are asymptomatic. Just one person from the group of 70 known active cases is currently showing any symptoms and the hospital remains free of any COVID patients.
Cayman has now tested 13,947 people, of whom 164 tested positive, which equates to an estimated infection rate of around 1.3-1.5%. Premier Alden McLaughlin said that this means more than 975 people out in the community are likely to be carrying the virus.
Commenting on the “good results” and the positive way things were going with regard to containing the virus, the premier expressed concern that the results could be too encouraging, which might increase the pressure to lift more restrictions before the time is right.
But he said that with the increased testing, the estimated figures on how many people may be positive were increasingly accurate and the infection rate was a “sobering statistic” because it meant that there might be as many as 1,000 people with active virus in their bodies that could be spreading COVID-19 in the community.
McLaughlin stressed that, more than ever, there is a need for the community to follow social distancing protocols, especially because this weekend people will be able to dine outside with a small group of friends.
Nevertheless, the premier was optimistic because, he said, the public had helped to ensure that the virus did not spread too much by following the government’s curfews. McLaughlin noted that Cayman was the most successful country in the world now for managing this pandemic as a result of the advantages given by its size.
“Let us continue to do what we know is working and not get too far ahead of ourselves,” he said.
McLaughlin worried that some people believe now that even if they get the virus it won’t “do us too badly if we get it” its unlikely that they will get it all as he warned against such complacency.
“But there are almost a 1,000 people out there,” he warned, maintaining that, after two and a half months of predicting, this estimate was pretty accurate.
However, from Sunday more restrictions will be eased, including the extension of the nighttime curfew on Grand Cayman to 10pm. The A-Z restriction will be lifted from the beach and people will be able to exercise for two hours on any day with friends, allowing people to meet up in groups of six. Restaurants will also be allowed to serve food to diners at outside tables only, with up to six people at a table up until 9pm.
For full details of what is now allowed under the soft curfew visit the CIG coronavirus website.
See Friday’s COVID-19 briefing on CIGTV below:
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Category: Health, Medical Health
Wow I’m now being accused of Trolling on 1000 persons possibly be asymptomatic.
Why would I put out misleading information, when there are numerous studies that are showing up to 15%-20% for people that are randomly tested already having the antibodies. Do these antibodies just appear in a person’s body or does the person have had to caught the virus?
They is why I have been an advocate for the antibodies test from day one which would give a better picture of numbers.
It scares the sh1t out of me that Alden has no idea how samples and extrapolation work. The people being tested were NOT a random sample: first they were people with symptoms and foreign travel, then people at grocery stores who are exposed to thousands of people. Then, construction workers who often live as room-mates with others. This completely IGNORES the vast majority of people in Cayman who have been in lockdown for 2 months! How does the guy who put the country into lockdown, of all people, completely ignore it??? A slightly better representation is the LAST test 4/694 = 0.5% or 288 people, which still ignores all the people who have had the virus (which often shows no symptoms) and are now immune.
And these ‘asymptomatic’ positives may in fact have had Covid-19 and recovered, but are still shedding dead cells. Makes the % of positives meaningless as we don’t know if they are contagious.The WHO suggests you can’t catch the virus from asymptomatic people.
Please let nanny’s back to work and kids to mix in small social bubbles. No school yet as too many in an enclosed area.
Give it to the end of June & see whether our numbers increase.
If no increase then open summer camp, mid July on, with as much out door activity as possible.
Good Advice from BBC website this morning:
At least half of new Singapore cases ‘have no symptoms’
At least 50% of Singapore’s newly discovered Covid-19 cases have no symptoms, the co-head of the country’s taskforce has told Reuters news agency.
“Based on our experience, for every symptomatic case you would have at least one asymptomatic case,” Lawrence Wong said.
“That is exactly why we have been very cautious in our reopening plans.”
Singapore – which has a population of just 5 million – has been hit relatively badly by coronavirus in comparison to many countries in Asia, with 38,000 cases.
Lockdown has been eased in the last week, but many are still required to work from home.
“People have commented – why are we not reopening the economy faster?” Wong said.
“We have to take a more cautious approach. There are still asymptomatic cases which we may not have detected circulating in the community.”
The principal takeaway that still alludes the “covid-skeptics”, even 6 months in, is that this is still not a flu. Asymptomatic or not, nobody should be anxious to go out and roll their dice against this brand new rule-breaking virus with a multitude of unseen and now becoming better understood vascular impacts. I get the feeling from comments on here that stupid/nihilistic is way more common than sensible, and I have mounting concerns that the stupids are carrying the popular vote on matters potentially impacting my family and our longterm health.
You want to keep the rest of us locked up because of your concerns? I dont think so. Feel free to keep yourself locked up away from all us ‘stupids’ though.
Doesn’t anyone here watch the news from the US. Coronavirus is history. Tens of thousands of people are demonstrating in the streets far closer than six feet together and without masks. None of them are getting sick and dying. Covid-19 is not dangerous – it was all a false alarm.
Lol you hold tight buddeh
What? You think they are going to catch Covid at a protest and drop dead on the spot? Come back in a week and say no one is getting sick.
Okay, check in one week. You will see that no-one from any of the protests is in hospital or dying from coronavirus. Of course, you won’t check because you are still in a state of fear and unwilling to give it up.
Put your name to that and we might pay attention. An anonymous “whoops” does not cut it.
You’re on. We’ll check back in a week. Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong. I know there’s a lot of concern that the protests will cause a spike in cases and I’m sure you don’t know anything for sure.
Demanding justice doesn’t stop for nothing.
Hospitalizations rising in Texas, which was among the very first states to reopen.
Oh yeah 3:42, you obviously have not been looking at the coronavirus statistics for Florida and Texas for the past week. You should be concerned.
Certainly not a false alarm there.
Open the airport. It’s ok, the cat’s out of the bag. You effed up. Everyone knows it. Everyone makes mistakes. Do the right thing. Stop the charade.
It is open. For people flying from the UK to Turks, Cayman and Bahamas.
Once a month. For those the Governor or the UK Cayman office deem worthy. For a one way trip. Or if you can organise a private charter. In which case you can come and go as you wish. You dont even have to quarantine in the government facility.
To say nothing of the private planes they let in.
What cat?
Open the airport and bring the virus in from Florida and Texas. A brilliant idea 8:39.
Sorry to say your brain effed up somewhere along the road.
Nobody has died. Nobody is going to die. Dr. Lee already admitted the key factors in low infection rates. Open the economy and get on with it!
Such a relief that I now know no one will die base on some anonymous blowhard’s statement.
Maybe just open your eyes. The data is clear. The death rate projections and alarmist rhetoric used to lay waste to people’s lives was fraudulent. The WHO is a mess and the world has paid a hefty price for the XXX politicians.
400,000 dead people from around the world disagree with you.
It doen’t really matter if 2%, 10%, 20% or 50% of the population is infected because virtually everybody is asymptomatic.
Alden should stop thinking he can eliminate the virus. Neither is this necessary or helpful.