Five added to COVID-19 tally as tests pass 15k
(CNS): Health workers in Cayman have now tested 15,423 people, which is a quarter of the local population, for COVID-19, putting the country in the top three jurisdictions in the world for per capita testing and painting a clear picture for policymakers about the prevalence of the coronavirus. Five more positive cases were revealed today from the latest batch of 696 screen samples, all of which are asymptomatic, bringing the local tally to 176 cases.
Speaking at Tuesday’s COVID-19 briefing, Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee said that 104 people have now officially recovered from the virus and 70 are asymptomatic; just one person has symptoms but has not been admitted to hospital and is recovering in isolation at home.
As he presented the results of tests done over the last 24 hours, Dr Lee said there was a lot of changing information about the virus, particularly the conflicting information from the WHO over the last few days about the spread of the virus by asymptomatic people.
He said there is no doubt that the virus is being transmitted here by people who have no symptoms, which has been confirmed by contact tracing. “People have to get it from somewhere,” Dr Lee said.
He noted that week after week he has revealed positive test results for people who were direct contacts of others who were positive, all of whom, with one exception, have been asymptomatic since the end of April.
The CMO said that time was the most expensive thing that Cayman had bought, but that time had helped to protect people here and allowed the virus to burn itself out, despite some concerns about the persistent asymptomatic positives.
Nevertheless, he said that, given the low level, “we are continuing to make great progress”, and it would not be long before most of the restrictions would be lifted.
Dr Lee said it won’t be long before churches can open, home and care workers can return to their jobs, and sports can be played again, so long as we have low numbers of positive cases, no one admitted to hospital and there are no sudden spikes or surges of infection.
“We don’t know if there will be an outbreak,” he said, though Cayman would be in a position to cope with a major outbreak. But it was in everyone’s interests to protect themselves by continuing the new normal of social distancing and the hygiene protocols.
Premier Alden McLaughlin said people could continue to feel optimistic about the results. He said this week would be a key test for Cayman, given the lifting of more restrictions this week with the opening of outdoor restaurants, provided strict social distancing protocols are employed.
McLaughlin said that if all goes well over the next couple of weeks, then most of the restrictions would be lifted on small gatherings and “touch services” (such as barbers and spas), and domestic workers and caregivers would be allowed back into homes. He said that it would include access to playgrounds and allow children to interact with each other.
The premier spoke about the switch in emphasis from government control over the movement of people to self-regulation of people’s behaviour to decrease the risk of a future outbreak.
See Tuesday’s press briefing on CIGTV below:
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Category: Health, Medical Health
Its about to get interest when the antibodies testing begins and confirms that many people already have the antibodies.
See below an interesting Newsweek article on the antibodies testing for all the doubters on the 1000 possible asymptomatic cases.
http://www.newsweek.com/coronavirus-antibodies-found-almost-60-percent-people-tested-italian-province-hit-hard-covid-19-1509546%3famp=1
“Strong US economy”….. that’s all many Americans care about, their damn pockets! They don’t care if their freedoms are usurped, if their Constitution is trampled and torn, if their society falls apart! All about their almighty dollar! Trump may provide a strong economy by dismantling social programs and re-directing more wealth to the already rich but ultimately he will RUIN America! Don’t be fooled by his claims of helping citizens with bail-out money during the lock-down, that was their tax money which they had already paid to the Government – least he could do was give it back!!
Make America a MESS again, Vote Trump!!
Taxes in the US are both State and Federal. Traditionally democratic states have higher taxes, I.e. NY, California, Michigan. Those states may offer more social services, and should be paid for by those who benefit from said services. I.e. the residents of those blue states. Trump is for lowering federal taxes, and not subsidizing the high State tax States with a federal tax deduction for their State taxes. If you want services, fine. It is each state’s voter’s choice. But do not whine if you are expected to pay for them.
Numbers look big when you are using world population of nearly 8 Billion.
But I guess the 750,000 HIV victims this year would say this virus is not so deadly or the 500,000 victims this year of Malaria.
Not to mention the 3,300,000 children that have died this year, I bet they wanted to go to school.
And the 18,000,000 abortions that have happened this year, thats a lot right?
See I can make numbers look bad too!
415,000 is sad BUT not the big of a number in 8 Billion.
But here is a fact for you – The new 19,056 infected discovered yesterday in the USA or 0.0066% of the population is better odds than the 5 people or 0.0076% of population in Cayman that where discovered with it yesterday!
We need to start doing antibody tests in order to determine what percentages of the daily positives are likely to be infectious. Some of those positives could be people who had the virus weeks ago and are not infectious. We need every one of those testing positive now to have antibody tests as well. Why the he!! is that not being done. Why is the equipment taht is already here not being used?????
For those who are still concerned about these very small Cayman numbers (inconsequential when false positives are accounted for) please remember that the purpose of the lockdown at the start was to prevent our health services being over-burdened. As it stands today we have four hospitals (including the new Field Hospital). That is four hospitals for just 65,000 people. We have not a single patient in hospital with Covid. There has not been a Covid patient in hospital for weeks. And we only have one person with any symptoms at all, which are mild. And still many businesses are still unable to open; e.g. gyms, hair salons, schools. If the lockdown continues until the last person stops being scared we will literally never reopen. it must be obvious to everyone that in Cayman, and the rest of the world, that the massive damage caused by the lockdown will have far graver consequences in the years to come, including to public health, than Covid 19 ever could have.
Countries all over the planet with far worse covid19 problems are reopening and dealing. Without seeking to open our borders to non-residents/etc, there is no rationale for any continuing curfew or stay home measures, its nonsensical – there is no pandemic here, the hospitals are empty, you don’t need anyone to tell you any test results, just call the hospital.
the government must switch gears ASAP and address the next looming crisis – EDUCATION, EDUCATION and, oh, EDUCATION.
What is the plan? For private and public schooling, for students and families seeking to go back to overseas schools/colleges, etc. Who is in charge? We are maybe 12 weeks from the start of school, the country needs to know the plan – are we staying at home until Dec 31st? Are we bringing back only elementary and middle school aged? Whats the plan for sports? Are school days to be by alphabet? can teachers over-65 and obese still get paid if they can’t come to work for fear of covid? Can families quarantine at home if they travel with their children for the start of their first year at college? and so on
What. Is. The. Plan?
100% Agree.
This MUST be addressed now.
Stop with the fear campaign and open up. Give our children an education and lets us know now that schools will resume!
The Cayman Islands Government is apparently issuing exemptions for people to have gatherings for functions of more than 6 people……Thats right and in private property!
So with that said why can we not have a plan for schools and summer activities for our children.
Whats more important here, a social even or the education and welfare of the kids?
Speaking of education: there are at least 415,000 people worldwide that would disagree with your dismissal of COVID-19, if they were still alive to talk about how they died.
If you do a little math, that is .0063% of the world population. Yes, there have been 415,000 global Covid deaths during the last six months. There has also been 30 million global deaths from all causes during the last six months.
1918 pandemic killed an estimated 50-70 million. If the world didn’t react to Covid the way it did, there is absolutely no way you could say it wouldn’t have done the same. In addition, Covid is far from over. Just look at what’s happening in Arizona, which might see lockdown return if what is happening now continues.
Same infection rate in USA and Cayman.
Big numbers look big BUT per head of population shows the truth.
No, and you need to stop believing everything you are incessantly told 24/7 – the 1918 pandemic came during/after WW1 when the malnourished accounted for most deaths. This virus is nothing like it, and we are better equipped to deal. The problem is, the governments are not dealing. its utter lunacy what is taking place
Hi Dorothy, We ain’t in Arizona.
CIG needs to look at the facts on the ground and adjust in real time to the situation.
Currently we have no one hospitalized. They should be working on plans for opening the economy and also schools in September.
There also needs to be a plan for the Tourism industry and this should be comminicated to the people.
If & when we open up to the outside world we will be faced with the propsect of importing Covid-19 again. So we should be planning for that as well.
The problem is that they now appear to be making Shizzle up as they go along and if their is a plan it is a secret plan.
Maybe you should compare the fatality rate of both viruses before making such an ignorant comment.
You are conflating the internal country risks with the risks of opening up the country to outside factors – 2 separate subjects. Linked yes but with completely different risk profiles.
There is absolutely not justification for continuing with any kind of stay at homes measures in Cayman now. Those who still want to stay at home, please feel free to do so but allow others to be free to move about, earn a living and live their still somewhat restricted lives. Protect the vunerable, IF that is considered even necessary, on island before opening up to the world.
Alden is going for his legacy of being the leader of the most successful country to deal with Covid-19, I’m convinced of it. EGO.
Reassess external access by end of July, do not stick to a completely arbitrary Sept 1 announcement from the beginning of May. On what basis was that decision made?! Look at what many other Caribbean countries are doing – already open!
If the Government are hiding behind saying they are following the UK scientific advice, please note that the OECD has now determined that the UK, of all developed nations, will take the biggest economic hit from Covid-19 as a result of its policies towards dealing with the pandemic – hardly a model to continue to follow in blinkered fashion.
Open the damn country internally now. By end of July reassess opening externally, if no spike, no excuse to not do it even based on their own completely incorrect interpretation of statistical data.
Oh, and fix the damn dump.
The list is long and the general election is next year.
Hi 650,000 died during the 2017-2018 flu season. Were you worried then?
I agree that greater clarity is required with respect to education and other things.
However, that clarity can only be achieved once we know what the state of Covid-19 will be weeks and months from now. In the absence of a crystal ball and with no vaccine available, that will require us to do a lot more testing and a lot more virus suppression than we are currently doing. At the moment we are in a limited visibility holding pattern without any clear safe landing area.
I am certainly not sending my kids anywhere until I know that it is safe.
And this your right to keep you kids locked up.
My right is for mine to have an education at school as the risks are simply negligible here in Cayman.
The fact that our current risks are lower than many countries is as a result of the public health measures and restrictions that have been in place since March, including closing schools.
So far no one has done screening PCR testing or antibody testing on children to know how many of them are asymptomatic carriers of the virus. As a result, no one can say with any degree of certainty that the risks to our community will stay low once everything opens up with the virus still present on the island.
The same USA Constitution that Moron Trump is trying to destroy and his mindless supports can’t see that and continue to help him!!??
If Trump gets another term America will become a Dictatorship!!
Trump needs to rebuild the great economy he had built. So let’s pray he stays in power.
10:26 am: rubbish! I am praying everyday that he is thrown out on his ears and that his blight on American and the world will be wiped out as soon as possible. Despicable imbecile.
Keep dreaming the Democrats are going need more than California and New York to win and they don’t have. Write this down today the Democratic nominee will likely win the popular vote but Trump will win the electoral college.
Let me take a wild guess, you don’t like /trump do you??Second guess, who really gives a tinker’s damn??
If that orange troll wins it’s because it’s rigged like it was last time. Here to hoping the American people have more sense than they did before, although I don’t have much hope.
The democrats are doing everything in their power to rig the upcoming election with Floyd’s death. No candidate to deal with today’s world.
haha, right wing nutters will always try to blame everything on liberals because they have no brain cells left after inhaling all that toxic hot air.
you realize you’re living under one here already?
This could be a dumb question but are the persons who test positive retested before the sample goes to Trinidad? The amount of positives per 500 persons tested is very consistent and could just be the fail rate of this type of test. 1 of every 100 or 1% fail.
It seems like everyday there are new cases….7,5, etc…I don’t understand how this is good news and why everyone is so cheery on the conferences if your getting multiple positives per day including young children. They seem to boast about how many tests they’ve done so they can brag about how well the government is doing on every conference compared to other countries. No one cares! As soon as you get your test done and goto the bank you might get it. I only care about how many new cases per day and how many are active in the community.
You only care about yourself. We get it. Lots of you here on this island. Carry on and take good care of yourself and please let us take care of ourselves. Thank you.
With one possible mild exception, all in the last 7 weeks have been asymptomatic. Some of these would be false positives ( the expected false positive error rate on a PCR test is about 1%).
The good news is people aren’t getting clinically sick. Getting asymptomatic Covid is functionally equivalent to receiving a vaccine (for that individual) with that individual developing neutralizing antibody and a degree of T cell immunity.
Immunity has not been proven, people have gotten the virus again.
One frontline worker in UK got it in March and has had it resurge 4+ times now. Horrible. We need to stress repeatedly that is not a flu or a cold. It doesn’t follow those rules, and can come with a long list of lasting unseen vascular complications.
Anecdotes don’t prove anything. 18,765 front line workers got it once and not again despite being exposed many times. The evidence is in favour of at least some degree of immunity for almost everyone who recovers.
9:16 I completely agree with your comment. I don’t understand it either, people want to say as we continue to test we will get more positives, no big deal. It is a big deal though because it proves the virus is still in our community and the scary part is that many have it but are not showing any symptoms. Not experiencing symptoms doesn’t mean we are safe, in fact, it’s scarier because we could think we are okay but in actual fact we are spreading the virus to someone else. We don’t know why people are asymptomatic and we also don’t know how long people will continue to be that way.
What we know… is that we don’t know much about this virus.
I share your reasonable concern that many seem to have convinced themselves that the serious health threat is behind us. However, if we look at the testing pace of 500 per day, and maybe 5 or less of those are asymptomatic positives (that then remove themselves into 14 day quarantine), it means that we are getting a good sampling data set of the prevalence of the most dangerous invisible asymptomatic in the community by searching them out in the blind. 1% or lower discovery rate is pretty good if it can hold there. Whether that stat holds, is up to our ongoing vigilance/discipline as a community (and we saw the beach episode, and now see the bars and restaurant disregard on our social media feeds). We should all be reminded (often) that just one pocket of symptomatic can fill our ICU beds and change our good fortune in hours with a headline event. I am very grateful that we are one of the few places on Earth bothering to assemble this invisible data set through a high volume of blind frontline testing.
The whole population isn’t being tested, but the Cayman Islands experiment has a better community sample data bank than almost any other community on Earth. That is truly enviable, and worth celebrating. We should be glad for that sample data because it allows us to extrapolate more reliable assumptions about the prevalence of the trickiest subset of this new disease – the invisible, comparatively healthy, asymptomatic viral transmitters.
Well said and the proof is there. No one in hospital, very few with symptoms SO…Let’s lift our restrictions.
Clearly it’s not that bad.
When will the antibody tests be started? The machinery and the test kits have been on island for at least a week. Who is benefiting from the delay?
Maybe the Brack wants that one too?
Health City hopes to begin antibody testing with their Roche equipment within the next week. Listening helps.
I just called and was told that they don’t know when they will be permitted by government to start testing.
Hospitals are empty. We are fine. Keep borders closed and let’s get on with regular life here.
I wouldn’t say we are fine, but certainly we are doing better than others, let’s try to keep it that way. I agree on keeping the boarders closed though, we definitely don’t need whatever strain of this virus that is running rampant overseas to be here.
I agree, but would add that I don’t think its wise to assume or propagate the assumption that we have a gentler mutated strain, or that our climate necessarily protects us (and not Brasil, India, Central America, Florida). In the future, with much medical/clinical hindsight, maybe we’ll know the answers on how we’ve been so lucky. #$%@ me if it winds up being prayer!
Borders.
This is applicable universally since most constitutions are copied from the United States Constitution , the most successful founding document in the history of the world.
Part 1: Government is not the source of our rights
Part 2: Government power must be limited
Part 3: Individual rights trump government power
Part 4: Judges should do their jobs
Part 5: All rights were created equal
Part 6: All men are created equal
Part 7: Liberty is more important than security
Part 8: Absolute government power corrupts absolutely
Part 9: The greatest threat to liberty
Part 10: The solution to unconstitutional government: Fight Back
https://pacificlegal.org/individual-rights-trump-government-power/
Most constitutions are copied from the United States? Where did you learn history?
United States Constitution and worldwide influence
The United States Constitution has had influence internationally on later constitutions and legal thinking. Its influence appears in similarities of phrasing and borrowed passages in other constitutions, as well as in the principles of the rule of law, separation of powers and recognition of individual rights. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution_and_worldwide_influence
You do realize the source of wikipedia right?
It is also one of the most outdated and hardest to change. Case in point, the right to bear arms was written for the times they were living in. Not For the present where weapon technology has developed so a single weapon can be used for mass murder.
You are obviously suffering from a case of USA envy (a cousin of penis envy, and arising from the same sort of psychological fears of inadequacy). Here is what Wickapedia says:
The Constitution of the United States is the world’s oldest continuously-active codified constitution, having been in force since 1789. Only half of all constitutions function continuously for more than 19 years.
Haters gonna hate. At least your good at something.
My constitution is doing very well since switching to food with more fiber .
Please Copied from USA???
7:14 Most ridiculous post I have seen to date and that’s saying a lot. Copied from the USA?? Hate to break it to you, but they are NOT the greatest country in the world and our constitution is not copied from theirs.
What a joke.
This info from a person who lives in Grand Cayman which to them is the greatest country in the world. It’s OK to have pride if you can allow another person to have his. If not it is racism. But you knew that right?
Where did they said the Cayman Islands was the greatest country in the world? Also, where did they mention if they lived in Grand? Those are your assumptions, beloved.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and theirs is clearly that the United States is not as great as they boast themselves to be. I would be inclined to agree with them, the current leadership or lack there of, is sufficient evidence.
Btw, it would be prejudice not racist.
Anyone who thinks the US is a racist country has not travelled to some countries in Asia or the Middle East.
An asinine comment. Even if countries in Asia and the Middle East are more racist than that United States, that doesn’t mean the United States isn’t a racist country. I’m an American and I’ve seen deplorable racism the whole time I lived there, which thankfully, I no longer do.
I’ve traveled throught the US with my black family for years and never experienced a single instance of racism. Not even once.
9:36 then you are lucky, my family and I have experienced racial discrimination many times in the US.
Oh you have, you’re just too thick to understand it most likely.
To say another country is more racist is so lame. It still means racism exists and needs to be addressed in your country. Handle your own business before pointing elsewhere.
Oh yes, especially good timing to regale us on the successes of Amendment 13, 14, 15, and the 200 years of Racial Equality buy-in, or maybe you want to tell us about the decades-pending Amendments on Women’s equality and Child labour. Let’s switch on the TV for Live footage of your conditional liberties in action.
The entire population of the Cayman Island have submitted to usurpation and despotism.
Does Premier and Governor pay attention to
what is happening in the world?
Listen to CNN and Al Jazeera for answers to justify the lockdown and restrictions…no more questions asked
I love the non answer regarding all the false positive results!
No confirmation from CARPHA on confirming test results!
Government propaganda still listing positive tests as “Confirmed Cases”
No statement on the actual false positive rates!
We are being lied to and Alden is dangling returning our stolen liberty in front of us…. I bet we are still at this meaningless “level 3” three weeks from now.
In 3 weeks we will be at level 2.7
Please be quite with this nonsense about “stolen liberty” and “oppression of our human rights”. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, the whole world is going through this pandemic. Many lives have been lost, we have been blessed not to be included in those numbers. Be grateful for the precautions the government has taken to protect all of us, including your ungrateful life, it has obviously worked.
It has obviously worked… very morning I rub my lucky rabbits foot to ward off the virus. No one in Cayman has died. It has obviously worked.
You cannot ascribe cause and effect without some evidence or logic. Consider a) people are apparently catching COVID here – even if you discount the false positive theory b) they are catching it so government policy has NOT eliminated or prevented it yet c) they are not dying or getting seriously ill. How do those undeniable facts equate with your theory that the government has saved my life or yours through its restrictions?
The Sky is falling, the sky is falling!
listening to anyone but yourself and calling it truth is a personal right. They do not want the public to know that the test is not 100% for what should be an obvious reason. Shhhhh. Ignorance panics easily. Panic is not controllable. No one wants that.
“week after week he has revealed positive test results for people who were direct contacts of others who were positive, all of whom, with one exception, have been asymptomatic since the end of April.”. I don’t remember him saying that at all – that he had identified how they had caught the virus, or, with a few exceptions, that the majority of the positives were close personal contacts of others already identified as infected. I seem to recall the opposite, that week after week they announced positive results for people who neither they nor the authorities had reason to suspect had the virus – a result of the testing of front line and construction workers, not from testing close contacts of those already found to be positive. Some statistics on the number of “solved” transmission cases versus the unexplained, or confirmation that all the positives have been verified by CARPHA would be reassuring.
If free speech still exists, I do not trust a single word this man says.
Stupid comment – one thing doesn’t follow the other logically. Have you been drinking?
He lost my confidence many weeks ago when he said “There was a significant increase in calls to the flu hotline. …. I should add most of those calls were people asking for test results.” How unprofessional!
Since June 3rd cases are up 13% in Texas and 12% in Florida. How can we possibly open up to tourism with those sort of numbers?
More you test more you find.
Cayman has more confirmed cases than most Caribbean Islands why would they open up to us?
God forbid we have one more person die with, not of, Covid-19. Then we are up up 100%. That’s the problem with percentages. Two, the same way everyone else is, with tests and other precautions.
Except for the simple fact that ZERO people have died of COVID-19 in Cayman. One person tested positive with COVID-19 when pronounced dead, but they died of a heart attack. FACTS MATTER.
Oh shut up.
So why do you trust him?
6:52 Agreed, where is an actual Epidemiologist when we need one.
It has become increasing clear to me why we are always on the back foot when it comes to external Tax Treaties and foreign government interference in our clients personal affairs. The government is just yes men to the elites. The ones who sit in Europe, London, and at the UN.
It is astonishing they take the WHOs advice or the UK based health panel.
These groups in the Euro, London, and the UN are attempting to take us into Marxism and they are winning. When communism fell apart it reinvented itself with identity politics and infiltrated legitimate groupA like the environmentalists, and social science types.
A great illness has befallen us and social media perpetuates this.
Taking us into Marxism? Stay off the weed Bobo, it can really mess up your head.