COVID-19 cases soar again over weekend
(CNS): Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr Autilia Newton has reported that there were 843 new positive cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, including eleven in the Sister Islands, and that the number of patients in hospital had climbed to 15 after seven new admissions.
With Public Health officials cutting the amount of information being made available to the public each day, we are only able to estimate that the number of active cases of the virus is around 4,000. Officials have reported that the number of suspected cases of the Omicron variant has risen to 2,836 in addition to the already confirmed 132 cases.
Complaints continue about the isolation rules and requirements as well problems relating to official testing. The South Sound clinic is still the only place for people who have a positive lateral flow test to get the requisite PCR test before beginning isolation.
This means that access is proving extremely difficult, given the number of people who are admitting they have had a positive home test. Meanwhile, frustrations are also mounting for families who are waiting for as long as three days after as much as two weeks in quarantine for an exit PCR test.
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Category: Health, Medical Health
Lets open the borders they said…lets scrap the quarantine they said……lets use the worthless LFT tests and blows all our cash they said…..can you remember that girl who got locked up for breaching quarantine to go watch a Jet Ski race?? doesn’t that seem like it was back in the dark ages??? Cayman’s COVID rules continue to defy logic.
January 18, 2022 update from the U.S,
for the hospitalizations are down crowd. Yes, hospitalizations are down a whopping 9 people, but the number of cases rises, as well as admissions to ICU and worst of all the number of new deaths. As has been the case across the world, hospitalizations, ventilation and deaths are a lagging indicator and a clear sign that we should not abandon precautions now.
U.S. COVID update: Nearly 1.2 million new cases as holiday backlogs are released.
– New cases: 1,180,187
– Average: 772,230 (+56,042)
– States reporting: 47/50
– In hospital: 154,199 (-9)
– In ICU: 26,209 (+250)
– New deaths: 3,338
Covid was spreading out of control in the community before any tourist came. Place blame in the right spot, if you gonna place blame.
Why are people being so stupid in the first place and taking LFTs all the time, stockpiling them etc, which then triggers a mandatory requirement to book yourself in for a PCR. There’s no way on this planet if I got symptoms I’d bother taking an LFT knowing the ridiculous lock down implications. Anyone else who thinks my comments are just my selfish mindset are also deluded.
… some people need to take them for work buddy
Cringe
Selfish? How could anyone think you were selfish not wanting to know if you have a communicable disease that could put others in quarantine if not in hospital or the morgue, when you could avoid that by simply staying home until you tested negative? Sociopathic yes, selfish no.
“Officials have reported that the number of SUSPECTED cases of the Omicron variant has risen to 2,836.”
With all respect to CNS, News is based on fact. That number is what drives fear, it’s not a statistic. It’s a MAYBE
How many of the 2,836 suspected cases have now been confirmed as Positive Omicron ?? Does anyone know !!
This should make it clear that Omicron has taken over the dominant variant. Everyone expects that these are Omicron cases, but the standard PCR test does not confirm this – genomic sequencing has to happen to prove it. Since this may take a long time (or may never happen) it makes sense to report these as suspected cases as CNS has done.
It’s not to drive “fear” if anything the fact that Omicron is the majority of cases should be welcomed as it results in fewer hospitalisations.
Since Omicron quickly becomes 99% of cases everywhere else in the world there is no valid reason to expect it to be any different here.
Symptoms of Omicron are different than that of Delta. Due to those symptoms differences alone, they are able to suspect if it’s Omicron or Delta.
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livemint.com/news/india/how-symptoms-of-omicron-variant-differ-from-alpha-and-delta-all-you-need-to-know/amp-11642304640681.html
Why are we not reducing isolation from 10 to 5 days like the uk. Why even lock away vaccinated asymphomatic people when they are vaccinated and no threat to the hospitals.
The Who,e point of policy is to prevent the sensible vaccinated from dying in hospital. Omicron is nothing with a booster. End the stupid pre departure tests and arrival lft for vaccinated too and get in the real world. Cases don’t matter, vaccinated deaths do and so far there are none.
When will all 5-11 years be able to get vaccinated ?
This will be very helpful to reducing these cases.
Should have been allowed weeks ago already …
I won’t reduce the cases much, if at all.
Children are already very unlikely to become seriously or die from an Omicron infection. Getting vaccinated will likely improve a child’s odds.
The reality is that if an unvaccinated child gets Omicron they are 99% likely to be absolutely fine. The vaccines will likely increase this to 99%.x%
Whether that’s worth having your child vaccinated is up to every individual parent. I suspect most will conclude that it is, and a few will conclude it’s not.
99.96%
The number of cases doesn’t matter. They key point is the low number of hospitalisations.
The fact that infection rates are high is actually good news – it shows the vaccines are working and the disease is progressing towards endemic status.
Now if we could just get Cabinet to start following their own medical advice, things might start to improve…
“Excess deaths are a much better measure of the Omicron Effect. In addition to exacerbating chronic illnesses and Long COVID…staff shortages, surging hospitalizations, in hospital transmission, poor therapeutic access etc. are all contributing to many preventable deaths.”
Bernard Ashby MD, MPP, FACP
Vascular Cardiologist
As soon as Mother UK deems it necessary. Must be some great analysis going on. I had my kids vaccinated at a Miami Dade vaccination center with no wait and no fee.
this should be the final public advice on covid/omicron:
get vaxxed or risk getting seriously ill.
if old/sick/at risk….protect yourself as much as possible.
if you test positive ..isolate at home until asympotmatic.
everything else returns to normal.
there is nothing more to be done or said.
Actually, there is more. Maintain a minimum of six feet apart. Use CDC recommend masks instead of cloth ones and wear them properly, wash hands and sanitize properly. Avoid crowded spaces inside buildings.
The CDC changes their suggestions every week…. I don’t know how anyone can take them seriously.
These cloth masks people are wearing are useless against Covid and the other viruses. No one in Asia is foolish enough to trust them.
Omicron has the potential to turn the Covid pandemic into a Covid endemic illness. Highly transmissible with mild symptoms for the healthy unvaccinated, vaccinated, children — which means if you’re infected you’re likely to recover with no long-term adverse effects and you get good immunity. Strangely, Omicron could turn out to be the “vaccine” for those who have refused to be vaccinated!
Sure.
“Omicron exacerbates chronic illnesses such as CVD, CKD, COPD, cancer etc. In cardiology, we have seen increased heart attacks in those with COVID-19 that can present weeks later. So, let’s stop with incidental COVID-19 narrative already.
Also, the incidental narrative ignores why we’re seeing a surge in hospitalizations. Patients with congestive heart failure, asthma attacks, acute kidney failure etc. that test positive are likely there due to omicron, which causes COVID-19 an inflammatory disease.”
Bernard Ashby MD, MPP, FACC
Vascular Cardiologist
The vaccinated are the surge you are seeing doc.
“Healthy unvaccinated”. . .read the posts properly. Of course, those with the comorbidities you mention are at risk of serious illness and they should be protected and treated accordingly.
Those with comorbidities we’re at risk of dying before covid too.
Those withOUT comorbidities we’re at risk of dying before covid too.
Everyone has a date with Omicron.
This was all predicted over a year ago. And the measures we are now fumbling around with will too give way to natures course.
Interesting turn of events after all of the protests in France.
France reports 464,769 new coronavirus cases, by far the biggest one-day increase on record.
Clinicians are not scientists. Ashby has no data. When he gets something relevant, they maybe there is a discussion to be had. Right now, its just anecdotes. Governments don’t even publish data as to whether or not the number of people in hospital, with or without covid, is higher than average. His last sentence is particularly speculative. Just another doctor who wants to have his 15 minutes on television.
This ill conceived idea of closing down facilities in the middle of a surge in omicron cases is very foolish indeed now they have to open them back up and not accepting PCR test from other healthcare providers is just Ludicrous! But that’s Cayman these days !
How many unvaxxed in hospital?
Please stop obsessing about vaccination status. It’s so boring now. Many of us are almost ready for a fourth dose because CIG doesn’t want to roll-out LFTs to the community and get any handle on this. Even with the tool in their hand.
You please stop. Vaxxed status is important because it will tell us two things:
1. How well the vaccines are working againat preventing hospitalizations and 2. It will tell people who are unvaxxed to go get vaxxed.
It is important. Now what reason that person is asking the question could be a whole different can of worms but overall the info is important.
You’re absolutely correct. I am the original poster and I was saying it so that the unvaxxed get vaccinated.
I agree with this. As much as I think people on either side of the vaccination debate have accepted that vaccination doesn’t really stop transmission, it is largely repeated as gospel that vaccinations substantially assist in preventing serious illness and death.
We know that’s true for OG Covid and Delta. We are told it’s true for Omicron – I certainly hope its true, but without seeing the data how can we make an independent assessment?
Let’s face it, things evolve over time. Everyone was saying to run out and get a booster to protect against Omicron. They’re still saying it – turns out that it does very little to protect against Omicron. So I can see someone who is reluctant to overvaccinate themselves for little benefit (and whatever that benefit is seems to last a short time) declining to get a booster.
For the record I am very pro-vaccine and I think anyone who doesn’t do something that will almost certainly improve their chances of preventing serious illness is making the wrong decision.
That said, if it’s a booster that does practically nothing, had I not already gotten one, I would probably wait for the next booster which is tuned for Omicron and might be helpful against an Omicron derivative. I see no need to raise my level of antibodies constantly when that seems to be of little or no benefit against the current strain.
80 + vaccinated. Majority of those unvaccinated are children.
Seriously move on and let it go.
Please stop banging on about it.
Explain to me what LFTs are going to do to stop the spread of this??? get vaccinated protect yourself.
Covid is novel because it spreads through sneaky asymptomatic community positives. We can quickly, easily, and reliably screen those out of the community now with 5 minute LFTs and lower our travel threat to reopen our economy and restore mothballed flight routes. Or we can keep pretending this tool doesn’t exist. Whether we individually feel we are well-enough vaccinated anymore, shouldn’t be part of the bigger picture, which should be 100% focused on ending this and normalizing life. Wholesale cost is only £2.00 per person. CITA/DoT/Chamber/Cayman Finance should falling over themselves to order the quantity and get them on the BA flight as a world-leading test case.
“Officials have reported that the number of suspected cases of the Omicron variant has risen to 2,836 in addition to the already confirmed 132 cases.”
And so what?
The let it rip plan is in full effect
It’s called Herd immunity.
And it’s based in $cience , right?
At minimum, that spells ongoing absenteeism, for those who live, and try to earn an honest living here. The interruption cost of letting Omicron run unchecked is short-sighted and high rates of community infection does nothing to remedy our international travel cautions. It does not fill our hotels/convention spaces, nor does it reactivate mothballed flight routes. We actually have the LFTs to change all of this 180′ in days, and PACT aren’t deploying them. Why?
Many people who test positive on a LFT are simply not reporting it, and many are also no isolating. LFT’s if properly used by responsible citizens may work, but not when used by irresponsibles.
@9:18 It’s not realistic that mass distribution of that LFT would change anything unless EVERY SINGLE PERSON testing positive quarantined for the required time and the border closed until Covid has run its course and the islands are once again Covid free. Then to keep Covid out the border must remain closed, no visitors, no one leaves.
So hospitals are filling up despite “omicron being milder”. 7 new cases and 15 overall.
The hospital is basically full now.
Back in November, Dr Lee said the hospitals could cope with 55 Covid cases before having to reschedule elective surgeries to generate more space. And the field hospital could accommodate a further 70 to 80 beds on top of that. So no, the the hospital is not full or anywhere near it.
Where do you think that field hospital is, right now? More important question: In what condition do you suppose it is in?
Didn’t stop to think of that, did you? It’s not a magical enclosure that just pops up in a day, and if not properly maintained and stored, it goes to crap quite rapidly. Hint: We do not excell and maintenance…….. of ANYthing.
More cases than that. I hear lots of stories of people who test positive on an LFT and who have not officially reported their illness. Some are doing the right thing and isolating, while others — scum bags– are just walking around spreading the disease.
We need to see each other now as a person, we need to help each other. November 2019, there was an outbreak, no one was scared.
But if this is true then we all need do whats right to fight this as a whole. This means getting vaxxed against it. If you are ill and cannot I get it but if you are not then you need to be. Because we cannot be all onboard for consideration that we are all humanbeings if we are not all onboard to protect each other. If you want me to think about you then you need to think about me. Thats only fair. Life is a two way street not just me considering you but you also sacrificing to consider me and your family and friends.
How getting vax at this point will help anything. Are you not up to date with the current information.
One didn’t work, neither did 2, 3 not doing the job and the 4th has proven to be not much helped.
Instead of insisting more jabs be given, I would be concern now, what it is doing to the immune system and will happen next.
When there is a vaccine that actually prevents the recipient from catching and spreading the virus, your argument would be stronger. I appreciate that it does help prevent severe illness for most.
I know, lets have a general election in the middle of a global pandemic and vote in a completely new government who has no idea WTF they are doing and just play it day by day making up a plan as we go along……
Been there, done that.
The idea of delaying an election because there is a crisis that “has” to be managed by the existing government is rather dangerous, don’t you think? Surprised Alden didn’t think of that one.
It is my opinion that the government, under the guidance of the new public health boss, has effectively surrendered to the virus and to the pressure they have received from the business community and their lobbying partners.
That not the only problem that is going here inconsiderate parents are sending their infected children to school spreading this to others ,those engaged in this behavior need to be dealt with Accordingly. disgusting individuals !
This is so true, and everyone knows it’s happening.
Plus kids 5 and over can be vaccinated now. What’s the problem? Polio, measles, whooping cough, etc. have all been almost eradicated because of vaccines. I would want my child fully vaccinated. Would also help those who are the most vulnerable. Selfish people who won’t get vaxed or have their kids vaxed.
I believe the issue for many parents is that the covid vaccine is not truly what we think of as a vaccine. Polio, measles, whooping cough, chickenpox, smallpox vaccines are examples of vaccines that actually prevent infection. The Covid vaccine, as were have learned over the past months does not prevent infection. I am all for vaccination, I am vaccinated and boosted but I understand the concern parents have about giving their children a vaccine that isn’t what they’ve always thought of as a true vaccine.
Perhaps “Covid Vaccine” is a misnomer. Perhaps they should have been labeled a “Covid19 Shot,” much like the annual flu shot. We know the flu shot doesn’t prevent infection but it does help prevent serious illness and death. This is what the Covid “vaccines” do, so why then were they ever called a “vaccine?”
If I could like this a million times, I would. A vaccine in the traditional sense prevents infection. I think it’s been well proven that the Covid “vaccine” does not do this.
Because the CDC have changed the definition 3 times
Many parents are desperate to get their kids under 12 vaccinated and we can’t! The UK has only signed off on vulnerable kids 5-12 getting the vaccine, whereas the USA, Canada, and most of Europe, Asia and Central America are offering the vaccine to young children.
At the expense of the health and safety of those with no voice
If the government truly wanted to find the virus and screen it out to protect the community, it could do so in minutes/days with free community LFTs.
Ironically, a two or three-pronged campaign would also lower our travel risk level from worldwide Level 4 cautions – “avoid travel”, to a much more appealing “come on down” holiday and business destination, where we would have full stay-over occupancy, convention business, and reactivated flight routes.
Cabinet/Tourism Minister/DoT/CITA leadership all too cocksure to understand there is no herd immunity from Corona virus, only trickier mutations ahead – guaranteed through imported tone-deaf infection strategies, already tried and failed policy elsewhere.
This is no longer a pandemic of the unvaccinated, the vaccine doesn’t really work that well against omicron.
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/israel-study-4th-vaccine-shows-limited-results-omicron-82312196
It’s worse than that and the entire world seems to be eating crazy pills with regards to mRNA vaccine effectiveness.
68% of Southern California (including kids) is fully vaccinated. Unvaccinated in this case study accounted for 26.6% of Omicron infections -> which implies negative vaccine efficacy for rest.
Now on to hospitalization risk among those infected with Omicron:
Unvaccinated 43 out of 13,874 (3.1%)
1 dose vaccine 9 out of 3,245 (2.8%)
2 dose vaccine 96 out of 28,148 (3.4%)
3 dose vaccine 34 out of 7,030 (4.8%)
How can anybody based on this data conclude that vaccines still work against Omicron?
And there was only 1 death among the over 50,000 infected with Omicron compared to 14 deaths among the 17,000 Delta infected.
Change public policy based on these new findings!
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.11.22269045v1.full.pdf
You’re missing the point, deliberately or not. Yes the vaccine doesn’t help against infection, but the article you linked to quite clearly says that being vaccinated protects against severe outcomes.
Whether 3 or 4 doses provides better protection against severe outcomes against omicron than 2 is up for debate. I think (this is just my opinion and not based on any particular data) that the answer is going to be no, which calls into question the need for boosters against Omicron.
No healthy person should really be too concerned about infections, and in fact, should probably welcome getting a mild case of omicron in that it will likely give you some form of natural immunity against derivative strains of Omicron, which may or may not be worse.
Some people would say that even a 1% chance of being seriously ill and an unknown chance of getting long covid means it’s worth avoiding infection at all costs. Others may decide to go about their business as normal – it’s all about your personal risk tolerance.
There are virtually zero severe outcomes with omicron, vaccine is still irrelevant
The world begs to differ, bobo
That is not what the article is saying now is it? It appears to be saying that 4 doses does not after a significant benefit over 3 doses, far from saying it doesn’t work well against omicron variant
Standby for the 5th, 6th, 7th and more doses. The billionaires and shareholders are depending on us
Yeah but no. It kinda still is because the unvaxxed still are the worst affected so nice try.
Yes people as you idiots still won’t get vaxxed the virus is mutating amongst you to the point where we the vaxxed can catch it but its generally weaker.
But you won’t stop f’ing around until the virus mutates to a version that wipes out mankind.
So congrats for helping the virus lets see what you think when it comes for your family or you.
Best and most accurate comment of the day.
This is talking about infection from the virus. Yes, the current vaccine is less effective against Omicron in preventing infection. However, it is still effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths once infected which is the main point of the vaccine.
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/by-the-numbers-covid-19-vaccines-and-omicron
That’s probably true in terms of infections, but that same article also states – “Vaccination and a booster still offer strong protection from serious illness, hospitalization and death.” which is all that is important. At some point this thing will mutate again and hopefully lose more of it’s potency against the vaxxed and unvaxxed and we can get on with life as normal.
843 formal cases which probably means 2 to 3 thousand actual new infections over the weekend.
Right, because we all know that thousands aren’t reporting positive tests or even taking them in the first place, and yet, we are being led into a false sense of security daily by many disingenuous parties, all with an agenda that risks the health and safety of our people.
health service still comfortably managing cases….with plenty of spare capacity.
For now, yes, but caution is a good thing.
Not safe. Not ready. #worldclass.
This is a shitshow.
yawn…go take your hysterical drama posts elsewhere….
OK. How about here?
Not safe. Not ready. #worldclass
This is a shitshow.
You realty proud of where we have got to? You think we have this under any control? You think this is safe?
Actually, yes, it’s going pretty well. We were never going to block it without going back to full quarantine for all travelers which nobody wants, or shutting down restaurants, bars and retail which nobody wants.
We are letting it burn through the community while keeping capacity in the hospitals both for covid cases and non-covid cases.
That’s basically the best case scenario – in about a month it will drop off as everyone will have had it.
To answer your likely response in advance: yes, that means a few more people will die. No, I am not happy about that. No I wouldn’t like it if it was me, my family member or friend, but it wouldn’t change my view that this is the best way to manage this.
What a colossal vacuum of humanity you are for accepting deaths as the cost of doing business to keep restaurants, bars and retailers open. No human life is worth that.
What about the convenience of cars? People die because of cars and we accept that loss due to the convenience.
Nice virtue signalling but nope you’re incorrect.
Yes, anyone who accepts that life comes with trade-offs must be a horrible human being.
It’s so easy to be a keyboard warrior and say things like “business and tourism isn’t worth the cost of one life”, “the old way of living is over” etc.
But the reality is that very few people really think that’s true. No country in the world follows that strategy and for good reason.
There is one reason for closing down the economy, locking people up and denying people their livelihoods, and that is that the hospitals are overrun.
Absent that happening, there is no reason that covid is serious enough to change our way of life. Yes that means a few people will die. It’s here now. It’s too late to stop it.
You may believe that we don’t need to keep businesses open, but I suspect if you took a survey of your follow citizens you’d be one of a small minority.
The reality is we make tradeoffs all the time. If we wanted to prevent as many deaths as possible we would ban fast food, cigarettes, alcohol and set all speed limits at 25 miles per hour just to name a few obvious things. There’s a reason we don’t do that and it’s because we prefer to eat what we want, smoke if we want, drink if we want and drive faster to get places sooner.
What a colossal load of bullshit. A global pandemic is nothing like driving cars, food, or various vices. Those are choices one has the freedom to make.
No one gets to choose if they are infected, become ill or possibly die, and no one deserves to be cannon fodder for profits.
We do have the ability to choose to take as many measures as possible to reduce the threat of infections, and we should think of society as a whole and protect the vulnerable together.
How to deal with a virus is both a societal and individual choice, just like laws and rules surrounding cars, food, and other dangerous vices.
There are rules that society makes about what you can and cannot do and there are your personal choices within that framework.
People can make personal choices to wear masks, avoid public places, stay six feet away from others. Government has the option to make those choices for people.
Everything is a choice. It’s easy to say that as a society we should choose to take a path that would result in maximum protection against transmission. In principle it sounds good but in reality there are knock-on effects from doing that. MY point, which I don’t think you get, is that you can extend this analysis to anything that’s dangerous to people and have government make it illegal.
The reason we don’t do that as a society is that we do a cost-benefit analysis on each of those options.
In the case of covid, the consensus is that the costs of lockdown life outweigh the benefits. Obviously you feel differently. But someone else’s opinion isn’t “bullshit” because you don’t like it.
Actually, I and many thousands of Caymanians were perfectly happy to keep our borders closed save through quarantine. 13 more people would be alive today, and our economy (including many bars and restaurants) would be doing much better than they are, had we maintained our defenses against Covid. It was an expatriate dominated tourism lobby that tore our defenses down, and shirks any responsibility while elderly Caymanians die so that other expatriates can sunbathe.
This is a gross oversimplification and I highly doubt that you could find thousands of Caymanians who think that we could continue indefinitely with limited flights in and out of here and a 14 day quarantine, which is what you would need to keep Omicron out.
Too many government workers in the bureaucracy with absolutely zero accountability and credibility.
You’ll get pushback on this from the CITA bots and the expats who have no issue with loss of life in their pursuit of personal gratification and profits. A monetary pause, as you clearly laid out, would have been the path towards a return to normalcy, but powerful influences chose a different deadly path.
“Omicron exacerbates chronic illnesses such as CVD, CKD, COPD, cancer etc. In cardiology, we have seen increased heart attacks in those with COVID-19 that can present weeks later. So, let’s stop with incidental COVID-19 narrative already.
Also, the incidental narrative ignores why we’re seeing a surge in hospitalizations. Patients with congestive heart failure, asthma attacks, acute kidney failure etc. that test positive are likely there due to omicron, which causes COVID-19 an inflammatory disease.”
Bernard Ashby MD, MPP, FACC
Vascular Cardiologist