Traveller brings COVID-19 back to Sister Islands
(CNS): After a week long break from anyone testing positive for COVID-19 on the Sister Islands, Public Health officials at Faith Hospital have reported a positive case in a traveller. It is not clear if this is one of the ten pending cases of the Omicron variant reported by Medical Officer of Health Dr Samuel Williams-Rodriguez at Thursday’s press briefing because the test results were released after the broadcast.
The latest results are for cases recorded between midnight Tuesday and midnight Wednesday, in line with yet another new reporting period, or ‘epidemiological day’, for COVID data.
Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr Autilia Newton reported that 782 PCR tests were conducted between midnight 14 December and midnight 15 December, and 26 new positive cases were recorded, three of which were in travellers. This means that around 3.3% of those tested were positive for the virus yesterday.
According to the figures she released, which reflect testing on Wednesday, there were 3,426, active cases of the virus, including the new case on Cayman Brac. Sixteen people are currently in hospital suffering severe symptoms of COVID-19, three of whom are in intensive care.
Just 30 people were vaccinated for the first time yesterday and 46 got a second dose. But 291 got a third shot, bringing the total number of people who have had a booster to almost 15,000.
CIG COVID-19 information and resources
Report positive lateral flow test results
See current vaccine and testing schedule
An Isolation Support Line is available to help by delivering groceries or other essential supplies for people required to isolate suddenly, and who do not have other resources and support.
For Isolation Support call 946-3530 or 1-800-534-3530 or email isolationsupport@gov.ky
Operational hours 9am-4pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am-1pm on Saturday.
For mental health support, the Mental Health Helpline can be reached on
1-800-534-6463(MIND) from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pmIf you have flu symptoms contact the 24-hour Flu Hotline at 1-800-534-8600 or 947-3077
or email flu@hsa.kyIf you are having difficulty breathing, call 911
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
Category: Health, Medical Health
Tell me something… What do people expect? This is bound to happen. We just have to accept and live with this as IT IS NOT GOING AWAY!. I do agree that travelers should NOT be able to mix with the public or invite people over the the same day they arrive. Atleast make the vaccinated get a second day clearance that they are restricted go into public or have persons over until they are officially CLEARED on that day. LFT’s should be taken every 2 days for a week after they arrive also.
How about locals get tested every day so tourists know it’s safe to go out into the community?
And they always say what about Cayman Brac!
Well your getting it
Quarantine should be instated immediately why welcome this virus to our islands!!
We should try locking down instead of bringing in a cruise ship like really! Why aren’t they’re testing station at the airport? Why are we letting this deadly virus free to roam for two days, Why are you taking us for an experiment Pact Government?
Why are you asking so many questions?
Take a deep breath and cut down on the Red Bulls
I had repeatedly commented that we could delay entry and transmission of covid 19 but cant prevent as long as we want to visit other countries as we have to allow others to come in when we go there and even we can bring back. Same is with omicron. The only thing we can and have to do is to live along with covid (type doesnt matter) with all precautions which we all know.
So, you want to live locked down for the rest of your life? Never traveling off island again? Never having visitors again from family or friends? Not me!
Just like you learned a couple weeks ago- covid protocols work! Have been working worldwide for 2 years. No need for lockdown. Wear a mask when you can’t social distance. Wash your hands. Stay out of large crowds.
Public Health Orders already require everyone indoors to wear a mask AND separate by 6 feet. To protect yourself and OTHERS. It’s also not a terrible idea outside if you’re going to be sitting in someone’s droplet wake, or vice versa.
Part of the problem stems from the confusing term “social distance”. It should really be renamed “anti-social distance” to clarify the distance of separation people need to strive for.
I wonder if u caught a very bad dose of the virus and be very sick, what u will say then ?
A tsunami of the unvaccinated is coming soon to the Cayman Islands.
Hang on people.
I would say I’m vaccinated and live my life. It’s that simple and the data proves it.
I would think that is between me and God and not between me and every other human in the world. But that is just me.
10:47:
Did you work worldwide for 2 years with Omicron Covid circulating?
The best way to “stay out of large crowds” is for the government to strictly prohibit such gatherings and start strictly enforcing the prohibition. Those caught in a prohibited gathering or not social distancing earn a mandatory 14-day quarantine at a government facility. That way, punishment fits the crime and it helps curb transmission of infections acquired at the event.
If we had continued to quarantine travellers with the geo tag, we would have no covid in our community at all, none of those covid deaths would have happened, and 105 people would not have needed hospital treatment. And Omicron wouldn’t get here either, as it would be caught in quarantine.
I miss how it was on the island when we still had quarantine. Then, only the people who wanted to travel were quarantined and the rest of us had no restrictions. Life was wonderful then.
Now, *everyone* had restrictions, anxiety, and possibly ill health. So we all have to suffer (and potentially lose a loved one) so a few people can travel. Utterly crazy.
I understand moving forward, and dealing with covid, but we were already dealing with it perfectly and had something unique in the world to offer people.
I’m just so angry.
That of course is the only way to stop the virus entering the islands but we have managed to restart most of our economy and got off pretty lightly so far. It was never going to be a long term solution. For people with little money and those who lost jobs it must have been hell. If we really embrace the booster we can likely come through this with little damage. But that is a big if at present.
So this is all travellers not locals? And how long would quarantine have been sustainable? Typical Caymanian attitude – long term quarantine would see an expat exodus. No doubt you would want that too. Good luck with the fishing!
Lol You do realize that “local’s” travel, right?
Easier to say “travelers” rather than differentiate what nationality they are.
DO you see how stupid you sound? Or am I missing something?
Easier to spell ‘travellers’ correctly.
Smart ass 1:02. You do realise that not only do Caymanians and Brits read this site? The correct spelling in America is one L but more importantly, you need to get a life and get vaccinated.
There is no such thing as “the correct spelling in America”. It’s the English language.
Ridiculous comment. You know the Geotag and quarantine monitoring costs thousands per person. And Covid isn’t going away. Get your booster now.
@9:33am..What utter rubbish? Are you willing to lie under a rock forever.
It is our own people that won’t follow the public health protocols that is allowing covid to spread like wildfire..We had community spread long before the borders open..
The article is about getting people boosted. The double vax is not going to be as effective against Omicron this is now common knowledge. How deadly it will be we still don’t know. But if we get boosted it gives a much better protection for our community. Hence No lockdown needed. I agree covid is here for a long time. Vaccination is the key. If as I do, you want to stop lockdowns and border closures get you, your family and friends vaccinated. The booster for double vax people who have not recently had their second jab is essential to keep us safe, tourism safe and the people in jobs. Government needs to step up this message. Shorter more focused announcements at gov briefings and less rambling overlong unrehearsed speeches please. Government is part of the picture but, its actually down to us all in Cayman to do this and beat covid.
Vaccination appears to be a key component of individual survival strategy but it doesn’t stop transmission. Masking and keeping 6 feet away from non-household, per the Public Health Orders is essential responsibility of everyone in the Cayman Islands to reduce aerosol transmission and caseload on EMS capacity, where actual lives could hang in the balance. We went through epic transmissions with Delta because not nearly enough people were taking this essential responsibility seriously. Everyone should get a tape measure and visualise what 6 feet measures to. It’s a minimal effort.
None of this would be happening if the government had not given in to pressures and made wrong decisions at the wrong time. A very sad situation for the Cayman Islands. Islands that not long ago were a shining beacon of good sense in the fight against COVID.
Had the planet taken the threat seriously and in a unified way, like we’d done in past world wars, we wouldn’t be talking about Omicron. There would have been a coordinated “Great Lockdown” of non-essential for 6-8 weeks with minimal economic cost or interruption. Maybe that will come after Omicron and hopefully before we inadvertently engineer the vaccine-resistant super-variant. Echoes of MAGA’s post-truth/science nationalistic politics.
CRAZY comment…completely off the charts! There is NO way to lockdown a planet! MAGA people believe in freedom…unlike you must get the jab Biden!
Your first sentence is quite laughable given you later reference MAGA but fail to even passingly mention China and its role in this pandemic. Obviously your tribal political views Trump your commons sense. 😂
Good sense? Keeping quarantine and families not seeing their families for years? You call that a shining example? As Covid is not going anywhere soon you do realise that it was inevitable it would come here with or without quarantine. In fact it probably was here in the days they only tested travellers. When you say Govt not given into pressures I assume you mean Govt avoids being bankrupt.