Public Health struggles to manage COVID cases
(CNS): Government is struggling to report the daily COVID-19 cases and details because Public Health is swamped by the amount of people needing to be tested, as the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads rapidly through the community. In today’s results, which were not released until 8:20pm, 1,350 PCR tests have been conducted since the last report on Tuesday and of these 126 were positive. Three were in travellers and the rest were community transmissions, but how many of them were vaccinated has not been released.
Because of the pressure on Public Health there has been a change to the system so that positive PCR test results as well as negative results will now be sent via email.
Figures released Wednesday evening revealed that there are currently 521 active cases and four people in hospital. The number of people who are symptomatic was not available, nor was there a breakdown by island. However, there were indications on social media that there are more than a dozen cases on Cayman Brac and several more schools recorded cases on Grand Cayman.
Despite reassurances by government that staffing levels have been increased and government was prepared and able to tackle an increase in the spread of the virus, Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee said in a video message that Public Health is struggling with the growing number of cases. He said it was becoming too difficult to call everyone with positive results and explain the protocols relating to isolation. Instead, they will now be emailed with the results and the information that people need.
There is still no published lateral flow test policy, so households with one positive case with any unvaccinated individuals, including children, will have to isolate for two weeks, while families with at least one positive case where everyone is vaccinated will need to lockdown for ten days. Dozens more people were locked down today as a result of a positive test and the entire port authority was forced to close because a number of employees tested positive and the rest of the staff had to get tested.
The number of people in isolation has not been released, though it is now expected to be in the region of 2,000, given that in addition to travellers, multiple family members are required to isolate even where just one family member tests positive.
Dr Lee said the number of positives is rising sharply now, which is a concern but most people who are vaccinated will “sail through” with only minor symptoms that can be managed with just paracetamol. But he urged everyone to be prepared and to stock up with food, water and other essentials, given the possibility of being asked to quarantine because of a positive test in their household.
Despite plans to open the borders to tourists in just over three weeks, the sudden and rapid surge in cases here has seen Cayman jump from Level 1 to Level 3 on the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 travel alert warning.
The vaccination clinic reopened Tuesday and an additional 124 people got their first shot while 106 got their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
To date, there have been 113,448 COVID-19 vaccinations given in total in the Cayman Islands. Of these, 56,365 (79% of an estimated population of 71,106) have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 54,136 (76%) have completed the two-dose course. Additionally 2,947 (representing 15% of those over the age of 50) have had a third or booster dose.
Age group breakdown for first doses, of which 49% are female:
See Dr Lee’s latest video message below:
See the vaccine schedule on the HSA website here.
For more information on vaccines contact the HSA Communications team at
communications@hsa.kySee here for more information on securely verifiable vaccination records.
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.
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Category: Health, Medical Health
“Lee said it was becoming too difficult to call everyone with positive results and explain the protocols relating to isolation. Instead, they will now be emailed with the results and the information that people need.”
I got my positive call on Weds 6 am, as of today, Friday, I have yet to receive an email or call from Public Health instructing me what protocols are in place for my quarantine, since I am vaccinated but have children living under my roof that aren’t of age to be vaccinated, but are negative. hhmmmmm, guess I’ll just wait it out and test myself in 10 days? 11 days? 14 days? Will anyone even know?
#whattamess
HSA wouldn’t be so overwhelmed if they stopped wasting resources on tracking down contacts. Personal responsibility needs to start coming into play.
Also, no need to test every single person that might have come in contact. Test those that are symptomatic. They’re not in Covid-suppression protocol and are supposed to be in Covid management protocol.
Stupid people rules. Remember they are the one voted in the M P’s.
I hear that Fosters is out of Covid home test kits. Someone said ALT has ’em. Celebrations sells the lateral flow test kits, but from them you have to buy in bulk quantities. This is a good source for businesses, church groups, gyms, etc. Maybe businesses can personalise them to give away instead of pens. After Song and Praise time, churches could have a congregational Kovid Koinonia testing time. Maybe also pass the tests out with the wine and wafers.
709? God is not mocked!!!!!
You are cautioned to look out for your soul!!!!
The mockery is what organised religion has made of God. It is largely idolatry. Case in point, you setting yourself up as judge of my salvation. I can assure you I am a believer but NOT a minion/lemming of churchianity and thin-skinned pompous self-righteous arrogant whited sepulchers. I have been cautioned? By who? You? Who are you to caution me? No beams in your eye, eh? Yeah. Right. You are no more or no less a sinner in god’s eyes than I am. I was not mocking God, silly. What was it exactly I was mocking in your holy righteous opinion? Get triggered much?
Oh please, grow up
@6:01 am – don’t think anyone is mocking God, they’re mocking religion, which is man made…and deserves to be mocked it’s so messed up.
I get COVID is here. But can we please at least wear a mask indoors? I noticed many government places don’t wear them and it’s not enforced – even when I went for my COVID test I was greeted with someone not wearing a mask.
Also time to consider eating outside. Let’s see these restaurants promote their beautiful outdoor spaces to eat.
Yes please. It is crazy how many times someone has reached out to shake my hand since this surge started. So many people essentially ignoring protocols and common sense.
@5:15pm – it’s too hot to eat outdoors.
It’s time for us to follow the rest of the world folks. We’ve seen how it’s played out everywhere else in the world and we can’t hold back the tide forever. COVID is here to stay in the world, and that world includes Cayman. Let’s all do the things we know will work to minimise spread and catching it personally – vaccine, social distance, hand washing and mask up!
It really doesn’t matter how much we debate it here on CNS, Facebook or anywhere else. It’s frustrating and blame won’t change the situation. It is here, that fact will not change, so let’s handle it the best we can
Everyone is angry and looking for a scapegoat – the government, those who broke quarantine – it’s hard to look in the mirror and ask what we have or have not done
True, is it something we, need to do as humans.
But we need money to survive?
What other options are available, for those affected?
Not everyone likes to receive hands out, some like to put the efforts in.
Like to put as much effort into understanding what is happening to put an end to it.
Health and money is important; what good is one without the other.
If you were good at tourism, you have the skills you need to be good at at least 100 other jobs I can think of.
They said that they were ready.
A promise from a politician is only of comfort to a fool.
Agree with some of the earlier posts that each of us has an obligation to minimize the impact of this situation. We might not have caused it but there are things we can do to make ourselves safer. I don’t just mean being vaccinated, wearing a mask, social distancing and hand hygiene.
My family have decided that we are not going to go to high risk situations and that includes restaurants, bars, gyms, the cinema, bowling or other family’s birthday parties.
It is simply too risky with Covid out of control. None of us can afford to get sick or end up with long Covid. We are going to stay home to stay safe. We will read to our children and play with them to keep them entertained.
If each of us avoids high risk situations all of us will be safer.
You are trying to control behavior of others.
Aren’t we all?
In this “wave” how many fully vaccinated people who are not obese have died? I’m guessing none.
Life cannot stop for those that choose not to look after their own health.
Dear gym-dunce: there are twenty-something, fully-vaccinated Olympic Gold Medalists, prob with <10% body fat, that have been hospitalised with Covid. You don't know how you'll fare, and from here, the karma ain't looking great.
It’s time for everyone to assess what they’re doing to boost their immunity and health. There are the outliers of 12.09, but the majority are those with underlying conditions that have a proven statistical comorbidity with obesity
Time for the private sector to step in and right the ship.
I people who are primarily motivated by profit we trust, huh. What a plan!
CIS or John Gray?
Maples or Public Defender?
GTH or Shetty?
Face it, the private sector tends to do things better, for less.
I can’t tell if this is a troll job or an honest comment, but that bunch or world class hand sitters have done enough, thank you, let’s have people who graduated beyond high school call these shots.
They have been doing it for years and look at the state of the world. Money runs the world as they are doing right now.
A major study out today confirms that within households, infected individuals are only a bit less likely to infect vaccinated fellow householders (25%) than unvaccinated fellow householders (38%). This confirms the necessity of quarantining entire households irrespective of vaccination status.
https://www.thelancet.com/lancet/article/s1473309921006484
Hey, wait a second. We were told the differnce was 10 fold, then 5 fold…now it’s 13% of a fold?
Speaking of folds…
The lunatics are in my hall
The paper holds their folded faces to the floor
And every day the paperboy brings more
And if the band you’re playing in starts playing different tunes
Well, you know where I’ll see you then.
That was the overall likelihood of catching it or spreading it, not the likelihood of doing it in a household.
That study is about spread within a household if someone is infected. So once it gets into your house and you are living with an infected person.
There is a larger difference in terms of getting Covid-19 in general.
Also we know there are real world differences between vaxed and unvaxed that are multiples in terms of less likely to be hospitalized or dying.
If we have to play Russian Roulette with this disease I’d rather play with the gun that has only one bullet instead of many bullets and that is what the risk difference really amounts to.
Aint nobody dead or dying, next story please. Covid is here to stay and the sooner people realize that they will stop moaning about every single case. this is ridiculous!
This government set a date for dropping quarantine knowing:
that a large percentage of the people who need boosters would not be able to get them by that date, but would be able to get them by Christmas;
that pediatric vaccines for children 5 – 11 would not be available by that date, but probably would be by Christmas;
knowing that the new oral anti-Covid drugs that can cut hospitalization and death by 50% wold not be available by that date, but probably would be by Chrismas.
Is it any surprise that they have no idea of how to manage this Covid outbreak?
Merry Christmas from PACT.
Ive been pro-opening and still am, but agree that a January 2022 opening would have made more sense for the three reasons you state:
-by then, every willing adult would have the opportunity to get boosted
-by then, every willing parent of a 5-11 year old will likely have had the option for at least first dose of pediatric vaccine
-the Merck anti-viral oral pill, expected to get an EUA by the FDA November 30th, would have some availability in Cayman for high-risk persons recently infected (the UK has pre-purchased some supply).
After 20 months, should have waited 5 more week to Jan 2022.
If we really have 95% of our over 40 population vaccinated and 99% of the over 60’s we should be doing very well despite the infection rate.
However, I have little no confidence in the numbers or CIG’s ability to manage things in the community as incoming tourists are the least of our worries right now.
Let’s hope I’m wrong, but everyone should be taking personal responsibility for their own health and changing their behaviour until this wave passes.
This PACT Government is a clueless bunch of power hungry idiots. I regret the time I wasted protesting for you bunch of amateur’s. I regret the time I wasted posting comments in your favor on CNS. Time I will never get back but lesson learned. You can’t figure shit out now yet you wanna open borders come Nov 20?? LMFAO
Bring Alden back!
If you go to informationisbeautiful you can see the daily cases per 100k people for every country in the world. Since we’re a territory we’re not on it. The worst country in the world is about 125 cases per day per 100K.
We are now seeing 125 cases in a day for about 70k which means that we are about 1.5x worse than the worst country on EARTH!
So…every redlist and watchlist there is here we come.
IF the government weren’t cowards they would have mandated vaccines for ALL education professionals, civil servants, people in a building with more than x employees etc etc regardless of immigration status (and keep the mandate for WP holders). Kids in school don’t just manifest covid out of thin air and then get it or give it to eachother. They’re getting it at home or from a teacher, and the most likely vector for either scenario is someone in the chain between the kid and the covid-positive contact being Unvaccinated. The next person who shouts “the vaccine doesn’t reduce the spread” needs to be deported.
Anyone read about the public works guy who went to all three islands in a day, no vaccine and Covid positive?!
Thank God so many are vaccinated and that symptoms are mild. Praying we don’t have a death.
However, very clear the PACT government has no plan. They announced their reopening “plan” in June/July and now we are almost to November and they’re still working out the details of their new “plan” with all these requirements for opening that should have been thought of in APRIL/MAY and worked on since then until now. Instead it’ll be November 19th and they’ll announce a closing of the border because they “couldn’t get it right”. If they wanted to get it right (which I don’t think any of them every have to date) they should have started a LONG time ago.
We were a beacon of handling this thing properly and now it’s an utter disaster, mitigated only by the fact that we have no new deaths. Praying it stays that way.
Excellent informative post
But we can’t turn back the clock now and it’s pointless saying ‘coulda woulda shoulda’. What are we going to do from this point on?
Or you could just kill all those who oppose your views. Or are you still trying to do this without deaths. Maybe just your death. Very clear you have no use for “they” in your little world. Pray they find use for you.
No reason now not to move the border reopening forward. Oct 30th. We are ready.
Take the second option. Try not to cough or laugh.
Only inhale never exhale
If public health is understaffed, why aren’t civil servants being repurposed to help with the most recent spike?
Or stipend recipients even…
Absolutely right that some civil servants can be re-assigned to do clerical work. However, the highly technical testing work requires equipment that should have been ordered months ago and it also requires highly skilled technical people who should have been recruited when ‘the plan’ was being formulated. Sadly PACT is fully engaged with following the UDP’s Fire ! Ready! Aim! strategy.
Have you met Civil Servants?
Did all the out-of-work tourism industry workers get jobs!!!?? There are enough jobless people to NOT make understaffing a problem right now in Public Health. They don’t have enough people just to call??? are you kidding me?
@ 11:59am – Come on, we’re not all useless.
CNS can you please clarify if individuals who are contacts of a positive case, subsequently test negative, do they have to do 2 weeks isolation or not?
It’s very hard for people to plan for anything when the rules are so unclear.
This is now unmanageable using the current approach. The plan now should be to allow this to travel through schools as quickly as possible, and there should be no testing of children or parents unless there is moderate or severe illness requiring treatment, no home isolation.
The focus should switch to protecting the very small number of individuals who are unable to be vaccinated. The number of these is going to be a minute fraction of the people currently being affected, and children’s mental health must now be the priority.
CIG should continue to roll out boosters & first/second doses etc.
Those who still refuse to be vaccinated, well they can receive such medical care as is available, but ultimately they have made their choice and they will need to take responsibility.
VOICE of REASON!! Thank you
You have got to be one of the biggest idiots I have ever heard of, along with every one of your likes.
ouch, ratio’d.
Agree 100% We have 18 months to catch up on the rest of the world and get to ‘living with covid’.
We can’t hold back the tide forever
9:42 am, dont ypu realize covid can be caught many times. Do why let it travel through schools as quickly as possible, then it can be caught over and over again.
How about people start taking responsibility. Everyone should have a supply of lateral flow tests at home – easy to get from Fosters. Social distance and wear masks when you are close to people, in my office everyone is in masks when not seated at spaced desks. Wash hands, test yourself each week, self isolate if positive or have symptoms. It’s on the public to take responsibility and thenw e will be fine.
Except Fosters have run out. And as usual, I fully expect every supplier in Cayman to run out within hours.
We have only had a year or so to get an adequate supply organised.
ALT have lots of them
I think Foster’s was sold out with 24 hours.
Who is going to test themselves? Why should I bother when the dude I got it from walks free because he doesn’t care? The rules are ridiculous for isolation and no one wants to isolate for 2 weeks and possibly lose their job. The lateral flow tests only find positives when the sample is correctly taken or if infectious only. So it’s not as useful as the PCR test.
End quarantine even for infected if they aren’t symptomatic. This alone would encourage people to actually test themselves. Just have people continue masking and social distancing. If symptomatic and positive covid test, then isolate. Most people here are fully vaccinated and I’m really looking at the infection itself as a “booster” dose of the vaccine at this point. It’s not like I’m going to actively try to get infected but if I do, it will just give my immune system more tools to deal with this virus.
Stop the fear, let people live their lives. It wasn’t a crime before 2019 to spread the Flu or the Cold so why is this any different? Only 1% of cases if fully vaccinated lead to hospitalization.
Yeah, It’s Hunger Games, Cayman Style. Every man, woman and child for themselves. Suckers follow rules. This is the true nature of Caymankind and has been that way since the days of pirates and slavery.
Has there been an announcement about what vax documentation incoming travelers must show starting Nov 20? Is it the same “verified vaccination” as before, with QR code or HSA card, or just any old vax card from Florida, CDC or Ebay? And do incoming travelers have to show PCR negative from 72 hours before, or are rapid tests (lateral flow) OK, or just self certify “I’m good!”?
Rules seem a bit vague at this point.
We are now reaping the consequences of the Government decision not to mandate vaccines in the Civil Service and for Frontline Staff. Public Health mandates should apply to all the population otherwise they are ineffective.
Also, why is the Field Hospital at the Family Life Centre not being used as the Flu and Covid Treatment Clinic? Having 100 + positive patients visiting the hospital per day is just stupid and it wont be long before the hospital staff and vulnerable patients are been infected. The Family Life Centre also has a huge car park where mobile screening can be done. We need to start thinking strategically.
Because it was taken down when we gave out dozens of awards for successfully defeating COVID remember?
What Field Hospital at the Family Life Centre? You might want to double check whether that still exists
so the no-plan-pact plan(which they are still planning)….is now failing at the first hurdle…..?
world class incompetence again from cig and the civil service
Can Doctor Lee please tell us which Covid 19 variant it is here spreading so we can determine exactly which country and who exactly is spreading this here in Cayman. Speak up Cayman our silence is making us sick and will kill us and our children.
Delta. Caymanians who refused to quarantine started it. Caymanians who don’t need to be vaccinated are spreading it. Everyone else either obeyed the law, or went straight to jail.
Statistically it is much more likely to have been spread as a result of the reduction of quarantine to 5 days even though the virus incubation period has been known to be 14 days for well over a year.
Reality is other countries don’t require vaccinated persons to quarantine and their cases are going down. So you can take your statistics and …..
Most of those countries that didn’t kill off hundreds of thousands of their citizens for political reasons and don’t require vaccinated persons to quarantine, or will not in the future, have vaccine mandates, restrictions on high risk activities etc.
We have PACT
Why? None of the positive cases were ever linked to a traveller. It is equally likely that it resulted from a breach which of course wouldn’t have been reported as a contact.
We had the five day quarantine for months without any cases.
Incubation period = 14 days
Quarantine of 5 days means that some infected people get out of quarantine and then become infectious.
1 – 2% of incoming travelers only tested positive AFTER 10 – 14 days. That totaled hundreds during the time that the 5 day quarantine was in effect. (BTW – 5 day quarantine legislation commenced end of August. Just before the virus got loose.
PACT could have ordered genomic sequencing to find the origin. They did not. Guess why.
The quarantine was reduced to five days on 23 June.
I’m in a bit of dilemma following this news, do I go and get tested or do I try and get into work the next two weeks with fluorescent light bulb up my a$$
8.51 your asinine comment falls short on humour , but long on pointless.
2nd that!
I see what you did there 10:18 – ‘asinine’, pretty clever ; )
Thanks I’m here all week.