Isolation cut for fully vaccinated COVID cases

| 12/10/2021 | 120 Comments

(CNS): Five travellers and another eight people in the community tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday including five children, which has brought the total active cases to 178. However, the isolation period has now been shortened in some cases. For people who test positive and isolate alone and for households where everyone is fully vaccinated, exit tests will be conducted on day 11 instead of day 15. If those tests are all negative, those people will be released from isolation.

If a person continues to test positive, they and their families must stay locked down.

Medical Officer of Health Dr Samuel William-Rodriguez explained the change in a release on Tuesday, and indicated that this would apply to people who are already in quarantine.

“Public Health’s isolation protocols may change as we progress through various stages of community spread,” he said. “We are continuously evaluating the situation and will adapt as needed in an effort to keep our community safe from the spread of COVID-19.”

According to figures released Monday evening, there are 1,415 people in isolation and 178 active cases. There were 13 new positive tests reported today, five in travellers and eight positive tests from the community, including five children. 53,115 people (75% of the population) have completed the two-dose course, and 533 (1%) have had a third or booster dose.  


Detailing the new protocols, Public Health officials said that individuals who test positive and isolate by themselves are to be tested on day 11 of isolation and will be released if negative for COVID-19.

If someone tests positive within a household where all members are vaccinated, they will all be tested on day 11 and will be released once everyone in the household tests negative for COVID-19.   

If there is a positive case within a household where some members are unvaccinated, those who have not been vaccinated as well as the positive person will be tested on day 15 and will be released once everyone in the household test negative for COVID-19. Those members who are fully vaccinated, such as a parent of a child under vaccination age, can be tested on day 11 and be released, but they must not go back into the home until the positive case and other household members have tested negative. 

With the imminent roll out of lateral flow tests that can be done at home, the current isolation requirements are likely to change further, so that only people who are positive will have to isolate and for shorter periods.

People who test positive and those isolating with family members who are positive who qualify for the reduced isolation period are asked to call the Flu Hotline.

Anyone with flu symptoms is urged to stay at home in the first instance and contact the 24 hour Flu Hotline or your general practitioner to speak to a health professional about those symptoms before visiting the flu or testing clinic.

Flu Hotline: 1-800-534-8600 or 345-947-3077 or 345-925- 6327 or email flu@hsa.ky
Callers will be screened for travel history and advised on what to do next.

See the vaccine schedule on the HSA website here.

For more information on vaccines contact the HSA Communications team at
communications@hsa.ky

See here for more information on securely verifiable vaccination records.


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Category: Health, Medical Health

Comments (120)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    This is a useless change. Our Government is Sang Woo. And I am Ali.

  2. anon says:

    it is crazy that if I am vaccinated and test negative I have to quarantine for 7 days (ie actually 9 days), but someone testing positive gets tested at 11 days. Whats the sense in that – its inequitable.

  3. anon says:

    What i do not understand is that although i have had my Vaccinations plus in the last couple of weeks a further booster which are all verifiable , i am then required to have a negative PCR test within the preceding 72hrs before arriving on island.

    It is then assumed that within the 72hrs between the PCR test and arriving i have contracted the virus and need to go into isolation , surely all that is required is a lateral flow test be taken before leaving the airport.

  4. Anonymous says:

    I think we can take from that compass interview thing with Kenneth Bryan last night that the quarantine requirement for vaccinated will go before end of the year along with allowing all USA vaccination cards.

    Great news. I actually prefer it with no tourists here and don’t want them to return, but it’s just obscene that my family visiting me or me returning from a holiday should have to stay in my home locked away for 7 nights when I’m fully vaccinated.

    • Anonymous says:

      How very dare you! As an expat you and your family are bringing Covid to our shores! 3 month quarantine for all is the only way forward vaccinated or not! 🙄😡

    • Anonymous says:

      All about you……

    • Anonymous says:

      Funny, we welcome you to travel to our country. Never knew we were so unwelcome there.

      Very good to know. Not another penny Will my family spend on a trip there.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Makes no difference if you are vaccinated or not.

    • Anonymous says:

      Except the vaccine reduces chance of catching it, reduces your viral load if you do catch it so you recover quicker and have less chance of spreading it, and 99% ot hospital deaths worldwide are unvaccinated as the vaccine stops serious illness if you get it.

      So how exactly do you take these proven facts and conclude ‘makes no difference’?

      Again it’s the lack of education provided by your government that causes the real problems in cayman judging by your post.

  6. Cayman Sanction says:

    Yes I wonder if this government will even take the time to read the 150 page UK report about their monumental failures in this Covid 19 pandemic or shall we ignore it and follow their all for the love of money economic disastrous scheme to the detriment of Caymanians. Aaaaah boy but for the lack of wisdom our own people shall perish!

    • Anonymous says:

      Cue up the O’Jays For The Love Of Money!

    • Anonymous says:

      The ‘failures’ before vaccines became available regarding lockdown? That is what the uk report you are referring to relates to. Irrelevant for cayman

  7. Anonymous says:

    So wait…positive covid cases have the same quarantine time as fully vaccinated negative cases (who aren’t lucky enough to have a linked database?) how does that make sense?

    • Anonymous says:

      I hope PACT Govt. is paying attention and learning not to follow that route too soon. Could be a very costly and irreversible mistake. Things done under pressure from billionaires to being back tourism could result in remote learning for kids, which in turn will have to result in working from home for several families – or losing jobs if the work cannot work from home. To satisfy a few, most will lose their freedom. For a few in tourism to get back to their old jobs, many others could lose jobs who cannot work from home to support their children’s remote learning. Is the govt. doing any calculation as to what will be gain and at what price – and I have not even talked about the further spread, sickness, hospitalization, etc.

    • Truth says:

      1.78 deaths per second 107 deaths per minute 6,390 deaths per hour 153,000 deaths per day 56.0 million deaths per year 3.9 billion deaths per average lifetime (70 years) in the world. Run. Hide. Be very afraid. Get busy living or get busy dying. Take comfort that it won’t last long.

      • Anonymous says:

        Hundreds of thousands of families have lost loved ones in the USA. Shall we ignore this in pursuit of the dollar?

  8. Anonymous says:

    Surely they will end quarantine for vaccinated by Christmas. How long can this madness go on. The vaccinated no longer quarantine in the us, Europe and the real world! Covid is t headline news everywhere else these days, time to move on Cayman.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes! Disregard the hundreds of thousands of deaths and misery the USA has suffered that is coming here soon.

      • Anonymous says:

        The us deaths are because so many states have such low vaccination. Almost all us deaths are unvaccinated, you can’t compare it to cayman.

    • Anonymous says:

      You clearly don’t read any of the international media. Covid is on the front page of every major media source.

      • Anonymous says:

        Wrong. I read 3 different uk papers every day. Not front page on the times and telegraph currently.

        • Anonymous says:

          It is probably not front page news on any of the papers that value money over people.

          If you had a more broad perspective you might have noticed. Covid is on the front page on CNN every day. Front page on the Guardian every day. Front page on the BBC every day. Front page on Der Spiegel every day. Front page on Le Monde every day. Front page on the Sraits times every day.

      • Anonymous says:

        The wealthy doesn’t like this post at all. We must open for them to preserve their class status.

      • Anonymous says:

        Correct. I read real data and science instead.

      • Anonymous says:

        No, it isn’t. Covid isn’t even on the front section anymore. We are going about our business as usual and wearing a mask when we can’t social distance. Other than that, we are going to concerts, sporting events, school, work, gyms, restaurants, and traveling.

    • Anon says:

      The government said they will give a months notice. From everything Kenneth and those I’m the know are saying, it seems the absolute latest for end fo vaccinated travelers having to quarantine will be a December 1st announcement with it effective from January 1st.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Absolutely no sense for this arbitrary reduction .This Govt really is clueless and is going to throw away the benefits gained from the last year or more and the lockdowns etc.
    Fact is Covid is now really out of control. The schools were always going to be the big area of spread and now it’s in the community to such an extent we will have to go through the pain and suffering of a great many folks getting the virus and regrettably some dying.

    Something must be done about the gyms . Like the schools they are one of the biggest threat areas. People touching equipment without wiping it down , people sweating and exhaling water droplets all over the place and no mandatory mask wearing. Proof of vaccination is doing nothing to stop the spread. We need more regulation and enforcement in this area.

    • Anonymous says:

      We are going to get the wave that the USA went through all summer long. The willingness to open the doors to the coming wave is highly negligent, and before the “open now” cabal pipes in, I would remind everyone to Google how bad the pandemic was, and still is in the USA with the same “open now” movement.

      Hospitals in the USA had massive shortages of ICU beds, and had to stage patients in parking garages. Emergencies could not be handled at the hospitals with all of the Covid patients.

      Cayman has no magical force field around its borders to protect it from the coming wave, and those who think the pandemic is over DO NOT want you to know how bad the USA fared.

      • Anonymous says:

        you are comparing a country with a vaccination rate of about 55% nationally, which realistically is more like 70% in sensible states and 35% in the rest. Cayman has one of the highest vaccination rates, and if you look beyond the US you will see that countries with high vaccination rates are doing much better than the US. Canada has a high vaccination rate, about 80% of 12+. USA has approx 9 times the population of Canada, yet has approx 26 times the number of deaths. My family is from Ottawa, with a population of 1,000,000 and we currently have 7 people in hospital with Covid. Vaccines work, masks help too. Get your holdout neighbours to get vaccinated and you will be fine. Pop and deaths: http://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus ottawa daily covid dashboard http://www.ottawapublichealth.ca

      • Anonymous says:

        Stop patronizing people as if you are better read than them. We all follow international news and you’re prediction is way over the top… the peak of the pandemic in countries like the us and us were either pre vaccines being available or killed the unvaccinated.

      • Anonymous says:

        From the Compass:
        Weekly first-dose COVID-19 vaccinations have dropped to an average of less than 300 over the past three weeks, after the first community transmissions in almost a year caused a brief but steep surge in vaccination numbers in September.

      • Anonymous says:

        Vaccinations make that risk near zero. Please learn the facts of science rather than social media schemes.

  10. Friedrich Sajovitz says:

    Dominican republic had so far in 2021 the best tourism season ever. Even better than 2018 or 2019. What are they doing different.

  11. Anonymous says:

    At least they seem to have cut back on the ridiculous press conferences. They were so unnecessary – 3 hours long with prayers and people rambling for hours about completely irrelevant things. They really did embarrass Cayman and give us a bad name. The press conference should just have been Dr Lee, the governor and the premier, 15 minutes maximum, telling us latest deaths/hospitalised cases/total cases in community, once every 2 weeks at the most, then 30 mins of press questions and answers. 45 mins maximum and done. The current format was a joke…. We had bizarre people from government ranting about absolute nonsense for hours in every one.

  12. Anonymous says:

    wow…pact do have a plan to re-open!…
    problem is, it will take until 2023 to complete…..zzzzzzzz

    • Anonymous says:

      PPM and UDP have protested PACT’s initial plan to reopen. They want the border closed forever, not PACT. PACT have delayed reopening by a couple weeks to get boosters and you lot aren’t even smart enough to play that forward and understand why that makes sense. Go back to sleep.

      • Anonymous says:

        a couple of weeks???…i think you are the one that’s asleep.
        pact ‘said’ they had a plan based on community transmission but then abandoned the plan because of communinity transmission!….welcome to wonderland

      • Anonymous says:

        Wait – as far as I can tell PACT is the UDP in disguise. Just look at who is on the CPA and how the environment is being treated. They are not protesting themselves surely, although with PACT/UDP anything is possible.

      • Anonymous says:

        PACT is the cover name for UDP…and UDP is PACT so I’m confused how they are conspiring against themselves.

  13. Ert says:

    Day 11 exit tests are pointless when the median PCR positivity period is over 20 days and most of that period the test is picking up dead virus long after someone stopped being infected or infectious.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Would the rapid flow tests given also to the tourists who come without quarantine, and make it mandatory for them to test daily (or may be twice a day) for the safety of our islands – or is it just the residents that need to test…and save the tourists?

    • #fantasyisland says:

      7:19 possibly you could suggest to government that all tourists must test 3 times daily and only at restaurants that way you could be sure that they are eating breakfast lunch and dinner.
      Twice daily my god you are either totally stupid or I missed your attempt at humor.

    • Anonymous says:

      A tourist rapid self-test (not in front of an official, but on their own in a hotel room) is of limited value, because there is no way of telling that the individual actually swabbed their nostrils or administered it correctly. One could simply take the swab and put it into the solution without even swabbing and of course it would come up negative.

      So on a practical basis, I am not sure how it could possibly work where a tourist shows up at a central location each day and gets swabbed and tested.

      • Anonymous says:

        In Ontario quarantine we self-administered several full PCR tests via online ZOOM with a witnessing clinician. It’s not that hard to orchestrate. The rapid antigen tests are even easier to do, and you get a green QR that’s good for 24hrs. That’s the future, until this one is behind us.

      • Anonymous says:

        Even if they tested positive without symptoms would they care? It will ruin their holiday so they won’t isolate.

        • Anonymous says:

          Govt. should come up with some kind of laws /regulations – may be like someone else suggested, do the test while on zoom call with a witnessing clinician. This is the least PACT can do if ithey actually mean when they say they care about the health and safety of Cayman residents.

        • Anonymous says:

          The wealthy love this scenario!!

    • Anonymous says:

      Yeah- geez let’s interrupt each beach day once or twice a day to be tested. Not going to happen. They will just go to T & C or another island where they have decided to trust science and welcome back guests.

  15. Anonymous says:

    “Public Health’s isolation protocols may change as we progress through various stages of community spread,” he said = We have no clue what we are doing

  16. Anonymous says:

    The science says zero days for fully vaccinated but we don’t trust that mumbo jumbo.

  17. Anonymous says:

    More Bull Shit.. why are they treating people who are not vaccinated so bad.. Knowing that vaccinated people can also infect others with Covid.. this is disgusting

    Unvaccinated people should be treated fairly-

  18. Anonymous says:

    kids of unvaxxed parents should not attend school.

  19. Anonymous says:

    yawn…makes zero sense as usual.

  20. Anonymous says:

    Total BS! PACT playing with general safety! ALL self-isolators should be electronically monitored, nothing less! Quarantine reduction should only be secondary!

    • Anonymous says:

      It’s not prison and it was not optional like travel so there is no way to force tracking bracelets.

      As for being told to isolate when your child that you are now a contact of was a mane contact them selves is NOT following science.
      I for all be will not do it if my child is a possible contact!

  21. Anonymous says:

    Look into the “test and stay” policy that way schools are not closing and thousands of people do not have to quarantine.

  22. Anonymous says:

    Dumb move not following science by the losers not leaders !

    This crew laughable

  23. Anonymous says:

    The rest of the world has opened, why aren’t we capable? Does anyone have a TV- there are 100 sporting events or concerts a week in the US with more than the entire population of Cayman!

    • Anonymous says:

      There are hundreds of thousands of dead in the US as well. Not a great example to follow.

    • Anonymous says:

      That’s just not true. 1 country, the USA, is not the rest of the world.

      Fully vaccinated Canadians aren’t even allowed to drive across the land border they share with the USA until next month. Their #1 trading partner.

      30% of delta positives (call it COVID-21) are breakthrough cases in those fully-vaccinated (against COVID-19). Waning immunity is an issue, as well as the fact that the antibodies are for a similar but not same corona virus. A square peg in a round hole, but the best we have right now.

    • Anonymous says:

      The rest of teh world isn’t open. Please research and stop spreading lies.

  24. Anonymous says:

    I think many, many people would have not got vaccinated if we knew this was how we would be treated afterwards.
    No more quarantine!

    • Anonymous says:

      Freedom is never the outcome of compliance. We tried to send that message to everyone but we were berated and insulted.

      The more you comply, the more the government feels emboldened to carry on doing its own thing at any expense.

  25. Political Slut says:

    Back to this foolishness yet again this has nothing to do with safe protocols more to do with those well to do internationals who are not quarantining and spreading this shit around in this place!

  26. Anonymous says:

    Dr. Lee – persons vaccinated.
    12-18: 76%
    18-30: 82%
    30-40: 88%
    Older than 40: well above 90%.
    Seems there is no intention to open up. Every action the government takes speaks to this reality.

    • Anonymous says:

      No. Only 75% of eligible have finished their full two courses, 90% with only half a two shot course. Delta breakthrough is 30% in those fully vaccinated against a lesser strain from two years ago. That means 45% of eligible have some kind of boosted protection against what should be renamed COVID-21, before we get into waning antibodies in those fully vaccinated 6 months ago. When factored, the reliable healthcare expectation goes even lower, maybe 30%, and they can make crisis projections on that, weighing that product against our hospital capacity of 30-40 beds with oxygen. Don’t envy their position. England is sending boosters, and we need to get those into arms, and the 15% with single doses, need to get their second plus two weeks.

  27. Anonymous says:

    @caymannewsservice…….. can you please get a clarification on the families that are having to isolate because of positive cases in their child’s class. Current protocol is that if there are more than 2 positives the entire class / tutorial (high school) and their families must isolate for 14 days. However, none of the stipulated changes seem to reflect that situation.

    CNS: I’ve passed this onto Wendy but hopefully the MoE will clarify before the next press brief.

    • Anonymous says:

      Thanks! Really need more info on that scenario. My child and rest of my family have all tested negative, however, have to quarantine for 14 days because of positive cases in my child’s class. If this protocol remains unchanged we will always be facing this mandatory lock down everytime there are positives in a class. This cannot be sustained and is putting mental and financial strain on families.

    • Anonymous says:

      Could you also ask Wendy what is the status of those taken to court for quarantine breaches .
      No point in having quarantine regulations if those who break the rules are not subjected to the same treatment as Skylar Mack and her boyfriend.

    • Anonymous says:

      When would there ne the next press brief….if it would?! PACT unable to answer live questions?

    • Anonymous says:

      Are all businesses required to mask up indoors right now? Some are, and some aren’t as if there were discretion of ownership. What about 6 feet social distancing in these places? Lucky to get 6 inches in some lineups…and that’s at HSA!

  28. anon says:

    Wow whoopie do !
    Thanks for following the science ..NOT

  29. Anonymous says:

    So it still does nothing for parents with kids in classes where someone has tested positive. Thanks for nothing.

  30. Anonymous says:

    What is the scientific basis for this change?

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