One active COVID-19 case remains
(CNS): With the latest batch of COVID-19 tests all coming back negative, the Cayman Islands now has just one active case of the coronavirus in an asymptomatic person. On Tuesday Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee reported on 113 samples, which were all negative. With no new cases for more than a week and one of the two remaining cases being cleared today, Cayman is one person away from a critical milestone.
So far this month public health officials have carried out 4,082 tests and found only two positive cases, which were picked up on Saturday, 11 July. One was a returning traveller, who is believed to be the only remaining active case, and one was member of the community, who was picked up in the wider screening test programme.
Cayman has now conducted 28,239 tests overall, and despite some repeats in healthcare and other front-line workers, around 90% of those tests are unique individuals. Since the pandemic arrived here in March, the country has recorded 203 positive cases and just one fatality.
While Dr Lee has not said when Cayman could be declared COVID free, he has, however, confirmed that he is seeking to have Cayman’s COVID status downgraded by the World Health Organization to ‘sporadic’ or, hopefully, ‘none’. Just thirteen territories and countries around the world have no active cases at present.
Over the last two month government has gradually eased lockdown and suppression measures in two week blocks, waiting to see whether or not there was a spike in numbers before moving to the next easing of regulations.
Given that there have been no significant surges of infection with each easing of measures, they have continued. On Sunday Cayman moved into the final stage of Suppression Level 2, where there are now only very few restrictions on behaviour and economic activity. People are still required to wear masks, socially distance and limit gatherings to 50 people.
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Category: Health, Medical Health
CNS – didn’t Dr. Lee agree to provide Wendy with a breakdown of the number of people tested, specifically what percentage of the total numbers are repeat testing of the same people. How can we have an actual idea of how far the virus has spread in Cayman if the percentage of repeat testing is high.
“around 90% of those tests are unique individuals” – i.e. not repeat tets
Bullshit, I know someone thats been tested 3 times. A frontline worker thats equipped majority of the time. Go out and do random tests and see how much the positives go up.
One active case…that we know of. They haven’t done sufficient testing within the population to know that as they keep retesting the same people. We don’t truly know how far this virus has reached within our community. This just suits their agenda to open our borders.
“around 90% of those tests are unique individuals” – so clearly they are NOT just retesting the same people. – If COVID were rampant in Cayman we would see it in the hospitals. A phased relaxing/reopening is the right approach, the important metric is people in hospital (badly sick).
Always noting that you have to predict the level of badly sick as future state given the level of suspected infection at any given time, so the time for lockdowns is when you start finding cases (either through hospitilizations or testing). So Cayman has generally done it right (if you take no deaths, minimal hospitilizations as your goal, which the Govt. did).
One out of a thousand will not survive. Why do you believe that you are the one? One out of fifty will not have a job. you must be a civil servant or are fed by one. And to make you feel better no one is letting ANY tourist back in September or even in the near future. There is no plan for when they will let tourist back on island.. so you have a few months to live yet.
Time to lock things down. Buying me a stockpile of TP from now.
We should savor headlines like this one
Once the government opens our borders to tourists the spike in infections is inevitable.
If we do not learn from our neigbors and their mistakes we are doomed to go back to lockdown
NO AMERICAN TOURISTS IN SEPTEMBER
KEEP CAYMAN VIRUS FREE
WE WILL NOT SURVIVE ANOTHER LOCKDOWN
American tourists won’t come. The way things are today, in Cayman and in the world, there’s no reason to travel, especially during hurricane season.
You don’t see them crawling all over our newsfeeds bawling about opening our borders because they have had to cancel their precious vacations? They are traipsing up and down their country as is on vacations. Without a doubt they would jump at the opportunity to get down here. The only mild saving grace is that some might hold off in coming because of all the red tape they have to go through.
Hopefully it discourages many because right now we can not afford to go into another lock down, mentally, emotionally, or financially. We are doing well and just getting back to some semblance of normalcy. Now government wants to have people come into these islands a mess up all the hard work that was done to keep us safe.
Keep telling yourselves that Bobo. You are sooo smart. It’s amazing you’re not Premier already.
CNS – Can you PLEASE ask the Premier what the plan is once the border reopens and we start to see positive cases again? Because it certainly will happen. What then? Do we go back to lockdown again? I don’t believe anyone living here wants to endure that again.i have four children and am willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to ensure they are able to attend school in person. They will be absolutely devastated if their school is closed again! I know all other parents I’ve spoken with feel very strongly the same as I do.
Also – if reopening is to aid in our economic recovery, are we not just delaying that recovery by opening, seeing a spike in cases and then shutting back down again? It seems so foolish to re-open (particularly to the US) at the exact same time schools and reopening and a lot of offices are requiring employees who are still working at home to return. I am baffled that a government that has made such aggressive decisions in the past to eradicate COVID is planning to reopen. I understand the testing, 5-day quarantine, bio monitor (what a joke – most people are asymptotic anyway so what will that really achieve), etc. but look at what’s going on in Bahamas.
Asymptomatic has nothing to do with the PCR testing results as the PCR test will show positive normally after 4 to 5 days of exposure.
Being isolated for 5 days and the pre test make this a safer system than most especially the Bahamas.
They have used ankle bracelet tracking for years in law enforcement so geofencing with the bio monitor is a good idea. If you take it off your body it will sense it an alert the monitoring station.
In Grand Bahama it was Bahamians that took an overnight trip to Florida that caused the new outbreak not the tourists as they are not required to have pre testing if the trip is less than 72 hours!
I didn’t say anything about testing and asymptomatic. I understand the test picks up a positive if an individual has COVID but does not have symptoms. What I AM questioning is how “bio buttons” will prove to be useful. If most positive people have no fever, or other symptoms, I fail to see what the point of a bio button is…
And then we will have to start all over again when we open the borders.. what a shame
I agree. We put in the hard work and should enjoy our well deserved reprieve for awhile until “tourism” actually makes sense again…prob sometime in 2021. Those that own property or have some reason to be here should already understand these aren’t ordinary times. Keep the airport closed to all but extraordinary repatriation efforts. That’s the way it goes during global pandemics.
Hear, hear… forget the greed, let’s lead the way to a safe bubble via closed borders, WiFi business skills, and retraining local vocational skills. We CAN look after our own and stop making greed our masters.
We could be the safest place on the planet within 90 days. Now THAT would be an economic boom?? We are sooo close.
12:40 I wish I could like your comment a million times. My sentiments exactly!
May you get your wish. Hurricane coming. But you will be arrright! You have yourself.
Right and no one ever needs to come and go?
We don’t need international business right?
Or international medical?
And how is that an economic boom with the border closed?
Who are we building all these projects for?
I wish I could thumbs down you ten million times.