Three more travellers positive for COVID-19
(CNS): With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging around the world, another three people arrived in the Cayman Islands over the last few days carrying the coronavirus. There are now 18 active cases of the virus among the 773 people currently in isolation and quarantine, three of them are suffering symptoms, public health officials said. According to the latest figures, 34,939 people have now had their first shot of the COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine here, which is around 54% of the population, while over 30,000 people have now completed the full two doses.
The pace of the vaccine take-up continues to slow but Cayman is still doing far better per capita than most countries in the world.
Worldwide some countries such as Israel and the UK have been making fast progress in getting at least one shot of a vaccine into the arms of around half their populations. But elsewhere the vaccination rollout is much slower. Jamaica has vaccinated less than 5% of its population and Canada just over 26%. Meanwhile, in the US, where most of the travellers arriving in Cayman are passing through, around 40% of people have had at least one shot.
But America still has almost 7 million active cases of the virus and recorded over 67,000 new infections yesterday alone. The situation in India is unimaginable after more than 345,000 cases were recorded there today.
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Category: Health, Medical Health
I expect kick back for this comment. If WP holders are holding up the process, then CIG should give them a month to get the shot or leave the island. I am a WP holder and got my shots as soon as possible. If business owners realize they could lose their workforce, they would bus all of them to the airport. What is a couple of hours lost production vs re-hiring and re-training an entire workforce? If the numbers reflect the Cayman population, why? Please, for the good of the entire population, flood the clinics and get vaccinated, there is not reason not to protect yourself, your family and your neighbours
Bermuda has been a disaster with almost 10 times the number of dead. I am glad we are doing what is right
Whoever is in charge of the vaccination program needs to greatly improve communications of the times and locations for getting vaccinated in each district and the fact that vaccination is free. Some people don’t want to go as they think they are going to be charged a lot of money to get vaccinated. Somebody needs to let them know that is not true. They also need to run evening and weekend vaccination programs in each district.
We need to concentrate on persuading the remainder our resident population to get vaccinated. We are now down to the hard core who are resisting it. Maybe the time honoured tradition of encouraging attendance with free jerked chicken and cassava cake at the airport might produce results.
Most people not coming forward is because with their jobs and families they cannot get to places where vaccines offered during the times they are open. Either that or they do not know where and when to go. Make it less complicated.
Set up vaccination centers in parking lots at grocery stores, in schools after hours and in churches on days when services are not held. Get service clubs involved with helping people with transport. Many people don’t have cars and cannot afford a taxi to the airport.
As further evidence that Cayman has the proper measures in place, last evening Bermuda finally announced that the system it was running was not working to control Covid. Bermuda is therefore moving to stricter quarantine measures for both vaccinated and non-vaccinated persons including a full 14 day quarantine for non-vaccinated persons.
https://www.gov.bm/articles/national-address-premier-david-burt-jp-mp
Yes but the quarantine period for unvaccinated travelers is still a much more manageable 4 days (with associated testing requirements) than we have here. To me, that is a much more balanced approach than maintaining our own strict rules with their attendant economic and personal challenges for Cayman residents. The vast majority of Cayman adults who have not yet been vaccinated are in that position through choice. The US seems close to approving an EUA for the Pfizer vaccine in teens, too – not sure of the status in the UK. Vaccinating teens will be another useful step towards herd immunity.
No need to quarantine in Bermuda for those vaccinated. That is how it should be.
Vaccinated Bermudians have to have a negative pre-test and then quarantine until after their day 4 test (5 days) and then be tested on days 8 and 14 – and they have people in hospital, the ICU, and the morgue
Vaccinated travelers to Bermuda do NOT have to quarantine. They just need to pretest, test upon arrival and days 4, 8 etc.
They realize that most tourist (travelers) do not book holidays for over a week period and if they want to compete with other destinations their protocols must align. Any quarantine period for travelers simply will not work at this stage as the tourist will choose a different destination. Pretest, test upon arrival, test throughout their stay and have them be vaccinated is the best safety measure in Bermuda’s mind. They are open for business. They are more concerned with the local population being their super spreaders so even vaccinated locals who travel will need to quarantine until their day 4 test.
Sorry – misread the Bermuda report. Unvaccinated quarantine will be 14 days! It’s unlikely Cayman will relax that 14 day requirement any time soon then.
Bermuda has set very reasonable protocols for those vaccinated and once again, are open. They have been open since last July. They have just made a few adjustments to their policy.
WHEN will Cayman open?
Bermuda has almost 10 times the number of deaths per capita – I doubt that their protocols seem reasonable to the dead peoples families.
It is time to change up the locations and times at which vaccinations are being given, particularly by providing vaccinations after normal work hours and on weekends. Permitting people to get vaccinated in the closest district health centre would be a big improvement.
They do that already!!!
I check with my district clinic and they say I need to go to the airport only.
Ok, here is my 2 cents. Can we please get some accurate numbers of what nationality of passengers flying into Cayman are Caymanian or residents. And how many persons are coming to our country during Covid-19 on new work permits being issued. Our unemployment is at 8%, please stop the issuing of new permits. Caymanians must come first. We need to stop importing cheap labour and start hiring our own Caymanians. We the people have had enough.
Agree with this. More and more workers coming in for construction jobs and this revolving door of temporary permits is out of control. Government should required proof of vaccination for ANY work permit issued or renewal or we will never reach our goals. Too many permit holders here who won’t accept vaccine and spreading stupid Facebook rumors. And only Caymanian owned watersports operations from now own!!
https://www.caymancompass.com/2021/04/26/turks-and-caicos-makes-covid-vaccines-mandatory-for-work-permit-holders/
Turks and Caicos has already done this!
How the hell are there 21 dislikes to this comment. Unbelievable.
The people that gets free Quartine Hotel/food etc from Govt. and travelling back and forth, is costing Govt. More than what is got back from them. Stop them from travelling unless it is absolutely necessary, like Medical and colledge only
Or stop quarantine for vaccinated people would be better. But anyway most people isolate at home!
Ummm, if we stop quarantine, even if only for those vaccinated, we will have community spread. You think that risk worth you having a vacay without sacrificing 10 days to keep us safe?
Yes. We got vaccinated
So what? You can still catch and carry the virus. What exactly is your point?
Which colledge did you go to? No reason to stop people travelling just make them pay for their own quarantine.
One that teaches spelling.
Duh
When I came in, there was a total of 4 out of 30 people on my flight staying in a govt facility. Everyone else was part of the at home residence program
If the vaccine is the “be all and end all”, why is it not being trusted instead of having fully vaccinated persons being required to test TWICE and quarantine?
If it isn’t offering protection, why is 80% of our population getting it even a factor for re-opening?
If the pre-test is critical to boarding flights to Cayman, why isn’t it trusted and a second test still done?
If the pre-test can’t be trusted, why waste people’s time and money getting it vs doing our own same-day results test when they land?
Every policy in place is contradictory! Hopefully, this government will follow the science and facts (vaccines work!!!!) instead of more fear tactics.
I did not like many things the previous government did but they followed the science and the facts, including the fact that vaccinated people can still get and transmit the virus including the new strains. They saved lives and allowed us to live relatively normal lives during a time that 3 MILLION people have died from Covid globally.
Hopefully the new government will do the same. The countries that have been vaccinating but have lax quarantine rules like Bermuda have been in and out of lockdown like a yo-yo, had hundreds infected, dozens in hospital and people dying. Who wants that?
https://www.gov.bm/articles/covid-19-update-minister-health-remarks-16-april-2021
Why are we still allowing positive people to enter tge Island when a law was paseed from Jan 25th effect? Why? Why is quarantine necessary with a full vaccination and a negative test upon arrival. Something just isn’t right here. How much longer will borders be closed before its an ALL ECONOMIC collapse
24/4@1:23pm – Hmm…You answered your first question with your second question. Quarantine will continue despite vaccination and negative tests. Didn’t you get that memo?
Full vaccine does not prevent the spreading of the. OK let’s dumb-down some more. I have had both vaccinations, I could go overseas and be exposed to covid19. While I could still get sick (or not), the vaccine supposedly lessens my chance of getting really sick or dying. When I return, I could test negative and still be carrying the virus, then meet you right after arrival and give it to you! Hence the need to quarantine me when I return.
Get it?
That is false information. The vaccine prevents almost all cases and spread of the virus, and has shown to be effective against variants.
https://www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n888
https://www.verywellhealth.com/pfizer-vaccine-prevents-covid-transmission-5116193
Get it?
We should be allowing ONLY vaccinated people to enter the country. Then we would see an end to these positive traveler cases.
Not true at all or they would not have dr. fauci telling you you still need to wear a mask!
Because not everyone can get vaccinated. That’s why you mask up.
Fauci. 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Let’s dumb it up for you!
In the USA of 66 mil people there was 6000 break through case meaning people caught the virus, that’s a 0.009% chance.
Last week a study of age care staff and residents showed a 0.01% chance of breakthrough cases.
This is why fully vaccinated people should be able to arrive without isolation!
24/4@8:07 – USA population is close to 300 million, what’s your 66 million about? Try explaining in English, please.
Thanks
So according to your own numbers, one in a thousand vaccinated people coming in could transmit the virus. That is one out of every 5 flights.
Try one in 11K
After a year of this it’s frightening that people who can vote still need the very basics explaining.
What you say is true, at least, for the mRNA vaccines. The adenovirus vaxs such as J&J and AstraZeneca confer actual immunity, however NONE of them are guaranteed to even recognise the variants.
As said before, it will likely be years before things stabilise globally.
Remember the idiot experts:
Wear a mask, no don’t wear a mask, wear mask until we get the vaccine, ok we have the vaccine and now are told to wear two masks “because it feels right”, now the vaccine that is here and everyone was to celebrate the opening of countries everywhere….uh we may need a booster shot every 6 months. Next the damned variants can’t be contained so we better not open up this year. OMG. Get a grip.
If there are any rational people left it would be refreshing to hear them review “the science” without the wailing and gnashing woe is us crowd.
Bad as global circumstance are, we would hope the Governor’s Office, and TravelTime/Cayman Airways are looking several months ahead and working to adopt the digital VeriFLY (already in use by AA/BA), and IATA Travel Pass, to integrate Cayman Islands-sourced PCR lab results into what will become the new ruling standards of passenger and border screening apps accepted by other countries. Let’s be part of the leadership pack on digital compliance, and avoid the perennial suspicion that everything in the Cayman Islands is somehow fraudulent or suspect.
I know that some people believe that Covid is nothing but the evidence that it is something we should all be concerned about continues to increase. From CNN today:
“A new study published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found people with mild or asymptomatic forms of Covid-19 can have long-term medical problems.
According to the study, nearly 70% of patients who hadn’t been hospitalized for Covid-19 needed to go back to the doctor 28 to 180 days after their initial diagnosis, according to medical records of adults enrolled in an integrated health system in Georgia.”
Covid cases actually on the decline where I live. Mask mandates are being lifted in several states as more people get vaccinated.
It is great to see more and more cities in the US with robust vaccination programs! They’re definitely being heavily used in my area by persons 16+.
Does cayman just want Covid to remain high in the world so the border never opens? Looks like that from all the thumbs down votes. People should be happy that numbers are dropping so substantially that they are considering removing the mask mandate.
They are not dropping substantially around the world. Cases are rising dramatically. Just not in Indiana. Not yet.
Cases ARE dropping substantially in areas that have strong vaccination programs.
I suggest most of these cases are arriving from Miami or Kingston, not BA which always gets the blame. What;s the problem with naming the flights?.
Human rights.
They name the flights in Bermuda & their HR laws are substantially the same….