No COVID-19 positives for eleven days

(CNS): Cayman is continuing the welcome trend in COVID-19 test results as Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee confirmed Wednesday that the latest batch of 225 samples were all negative. There have been no positive tests here for the coronavirus for eleven days. Since 1 July, officials have carried out 4,307 tests, finding just two positive samples. Both cases were asymptomatic and only one person is still considered to actively have the virus — the last remaining case on island.

Cayman has a tally of 203 positive cases, the majority of which have been in patients showing no symptoms. Since testing began in March, officials have carried out 28,464 COVID-19 tests as part of a major island-wide screening programme to manage the virus.

While the CTMH Doctors Hospital has carried out thousands of those tests, the majority have been run by the Health Services Authority. Four months after it began testing, the technicians at the hospital laboratory carried out their 20,000th PCR (Polymerase-Chain Reactiontest) for the virus this week.

Testing has been critical to Cayman’s successful suppression of the coronavirus and the gradual safe opening of the community and the economy.

“The HSA has led the national efforts in population testing said Forensic Technical DNA Specialist Angela Tanzillo-Swarts, who also serves as quality manager at Forensics Science Laboratory. “Most noteworthy is that we typically result 2,000 or less tests each year, which means that our lab will have resulted 10 years’ worth of tests within just a few months.”

At one point the Cayman Islands ranked third in the world in the number of COVID-19 tests per capita.

“This has come as welcome relief to the nation and stands in contrast to other countries that have lagged in testing and are now sadly facing soaring case numbers and reversals in their decisions to open businesses,” Tanzillo-Swarts added.

The team at the HSA performing the PCR tests is made up of experts from the Cayman Islands, the United States and Canada and spearheaded by its Forensic Science Laboratory and assisted by its Pathology Laboratory. The forensics laboratory has been performing complex DNA and RNA tests for over a decade in criminal cases, paternity DNA testing, and public health
screening.

It is also the only accredited lab for PCR testing in the Cayman Islands, meaning that it abides by the strictest standards for testing internationally. Notably, the laboratory has also led the Cayman Islands’ testing for Zika Virus, Chikungunya, and Dengue fever.

Senior Forensic Scientist Christian Taylor explained that the lab has multiple sets of control to ensure accuracy throughout the process of testing.

“If any of these controls gives an unexpected result, we can then investigate what may have occurred and repeat the testing if necessary,” he said. “We’re also testing multiple genetic markers in every sample, not just one. We also use state-of-the-art robotic systems in our processes, which gives us an added layer of confidence in our results. Due to the importance of this testing, we view it as imperative to have such a meticulous level of control.”

Over the past four months the laboratory staff worked relentlessly processing samples from across the Cayman Islands, having done all the testing for Cayman Brac, Little Cayman, and the vast majority for Grand Cayman.

Now the team has accelerated its testing capability with the addition of new staff and the ability to return results within a day of sample collection. Rush samples for patients requiring emergency surgery have been performed in a matter of hours with the GeneXpert machine.

As the Cayman Islands is getting ready to move to its lowest level of containment and considers the future of international travel and tourism, the HSA has added antibody testing to its arsenal of testing procedures.

The lab officials said the antibody testing will enable doctors and health specialists to get a clearer picture of how many people in the islands have been exposed to the virus and still carry antibodies to it, even if they no longer have the virus in their system. Just as with its PCR tests, the HSA said it is focused on using only internationally proven antibody tests that are performed with the highest level of standards.

Having set the benchmark for PCR-testing in Cayman, the HSA aims to also lead and support the country in antibody testing, officials added.

PCR and antibody testing are available to the public.

Anyone interested in being tested can email covidscreening@hsa.ky or visit the government website here and register online.