COVID patient dies as new cases creep back up

| 24/03/2022 | 97 Comments

(CNS): An elderly unvaccinated patient with COVID-19 has died in hospital, Public Health officials confirmed yesterday, bringing the death toll in the Cayman Islands since the start of the pandemic to 25.

Although just two other patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 were still in hospital Wednesday, the spread of the virus appear to be increasing again this week, with almost 100 new reported cases on Tuesday and Wednesday, including another three on the Sister Islands.

While there are an estimated 465 active cases, indications on social media about increased infections in schools suggest that the true number could be much higher, possibly as a result of the Omicron BA2 variant, which is the most infectious strain to date.

Public Health officials said that indepth analysis of genome-sequencing of local positive samples since the beginning of the year is currently being carried out to provide a clearer picture of the predominant variants currently circulating in Cayman.

“This will help inform the need for and timing of an additional ‘spring booster’ for over 75s and other at-risk groups,” officials stated in the latest official situation report reflecting the COVID statistic between the 13 and 19 March.

Last week’s case numbers increased only by two cases on the previous week and the positivity rate from tests carried out was 17.6%, with a daily average of 30 cases.

Meanwhile, the booster numbers inched up to 40% of the population, while 400 kids between 5 and 11 have now had a shot.

See the latest weekly situational report in the CNS Library.


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Comments (97)

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  1. Annoyed says:

    Our rights have been trampled upon for two years now. Enough is enough. My child was forced to take a vaccination last year, even though his risk of serious complications from what was at that time the Delta variant were minuscule…yet His risk of myocarditis was sky high. Then our boob headed government made him quarantine anyway? Because they wouldn’t recognize his Moderna vax from the States? WTF? Once you give power to these losers it is hard to get back. Don’t let them scare you into more.

  2. Annoyed says:

    The time is now to make PPE a choice, not a mandate. We put up with the unscientific mandates for long enough. It is time to move on. If we can allow flipping cruise ship passengers to disembark without testing, then we should allow the same for are arrivals. There is no logic in this place. It is shocking the level of incompetence and lack of accountability. Just stop the foolishness already.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Death and hospitalisations aren’t the only yardsticks with this novel virus. The clinical reality is that 10-30% of those who recover from a seasonal cold or flu, do not need to weather prolonged symptoms like fatigue, headaches, muscle/joint pain or worse, where COVID recovered may. We should all seek to move on, but with due care, and using LFTs as a normalised courtesy to others. Cheap, easy, and confirms status with high reliability.

    • Anonymous says:

      Spotted the LFT salesman

      • Anonymous says:

        Moving on presupposes that we all by now know this isn’t a flu. The retail margins for LFTs in Cayman are controlled, and a fraction of those other staples in our carts.

    • Anonymous says:

      Very logical, alas think who is reading…

    • Awsed says:

      Except the rate of “long covid” symptoms is the same for those who have and have not had covid. About 1% max of covid cases lead to long term issues.

  4. It’s over says:

    In the UK there are no covid restrictions now and 1 in 16 had covid last week out of 69 million. But only 302 people are in intensive care with covid in the whole country and these are almost all those who chose to be unvaccinated, it’s around a 23-1 vaccinated/unvaccinated ratio. With vaccination and post-infection treatments there is no policy justification for restrictions now.

    • Anonymous says:

      There are growing reports that vaccinated American women are having menstruation problems now that they never had.

      Who would have guessed that a vaccine that never went through the typical FDA trials taking 18 months on average to complete, could have negative consequences?

      CNS: Thank you for the mansplaining, assuming you are male. Periods are a giant irritation/inconvenience, and for some a painful one, every month for every woman for 40-50 years. How much sympathy do we get from men? None, until it becomes a propaganda tool. Women are encouraged to report irregular periods or any changes to their ob/gyn because they can and do occur for a whole variety of reasons, including stress because the men in their lives are acting like (fill in the blank).

      Again, women just get on and deal with it. Most of the reported changes after the vaccine have been minor. Read more here: Fact Check: Do COVID vaccines affect the menstruation and fertility of women?

    • Randall Flagg says:

      What’s happening in countries other than the UK?

      Let’s see, shall we?

      26/March/2022

      Mainland China reports 5,550 new coronavirus cases, just below yesterday’s all-time high.

      South Korea reports 318,130 new coronavirus cases and 282 new deaths.

      New York state reports 3,117 new coronavirus cases, an increase of 18% from last week.

      25/March/2022

      South Korea reports 335,580 new coronavirus cases and 323 new deaths.

      Mainland China reports 5,600 new coronavirus cases, the biggest one-day increase on record.

      2,326 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Scotland, the highest since the pandemic began.

      It’s not over.

  5. Anonymous says:

    2nd boosters are being made available to those at risk everywhere except Cayman. For some reason a decision has been made to conduct an experiment rather than vaccinate those whose immunity is declining and those at risk.

  6. ANONYMOUS says:

    I am so amazed at the amount of people on this Island I have spoken to in the last few weeks that are unvaccinated. They have their excuses but for all the wrong reasons. I lost a loved one a few weeks ago to COVID and I do not know who poisoned her mind but if she had followed my advise and got vaccinated or talked to a health professional she would still be with us today. I tried so hard to convince her to do the the right thing but she never listened to my advise she brushed it off as if COVID was just a common flu. When she realized that it was more that a flu it was too late to save her. I encourage those that are unvaccinated that have any underlying conditions to go and do the right thing before the next wave arrives on the island which I’m sure will happen in the next few weeks/months as most countries are experiencing that at the moment. It broke my heart to have to bury a loved one because they were so brainwashed about taking the vaccine. I’m thankful that my entire family did the right thing and got vaccinated. I encourage those that can get vaccinated to do so before it’s too late. The life you save maybe your own.

  7. Anonymous says:

    For all the know-alls jumping on the story saying the patient was unvaccinated, try to get this into your heads for once and for all – if you have had your last vaccine for covid19 5 months ago or longer, you are not vaccinated against covid 19 any longer. This is fact from Pfizer and others, it is not an opinion.

    What is very strange is why so many can’t accept this, why rules continue to discriminate against those that didn’t take any of the vaccines is beyond a health strategy, that is pure politics.

    Again, you are not vaccinated against covid19 if your last shot was 5months+ ago.

    Stand by for the incoming torrent of abuse from the covidista’s!

    • Anonymous says:

      That’s absolutely untrue. I still have more protection than any unvaccinated person.. unvaccinated means unvaccinated.

      • Anonymous says:

        Actually it’s correct, and if your last vaccine was 5-6 months ago you’re probably now in the realm of negative efficacy as they’re witnessing globally for those with multiple shots.

        The vaccines for what they’re worth are being seen to help for a bit and mainly those needed help (old, frail, etc). The healthy and younger (under 65) population are handling covid just fine with Or without vaccines, with the usual statistical outliers of course (as with flu, some young and healthy die from that every year also)

        The vaccines do not last long at all, it’s easily researched or you could just listen to the manufacturer themselves telling you for the need of ‘boosters’ etc. it’s because they stop working rapidly, very rapidly for vaccines compared to how we’d normally expect them to work.

        But here we are

        • Anonymous says:

          And anybody that advocates for people to get vaccinated/boosted after coming down with Omicron should get their head checked…

        • Anonymous says:

          Get an antibody test. Lots of people still have plenty protection 6 months after booster. Predicted to be ok for another 5 – 7 months …

      • Sorry to be the one to deflate your perception of reality, and burst your little Covid bubble. After 12 weeks your immunity is no longer there, check with big pharma. Also the wise that didn’t participate in the injections, and who have had Covid, and recovered. They have natural immunity now, which is much better than any injection. If you still do not believe this, I’m afraid you are beyond any help, and are probably looking forward to your 4th one.

        • Anonymous says:

          You people are so dumb. Hard to argue with Facebook scientists.

        • Anonymous says:

          “natural immunity now, which is much better than any injection” -John Hopkins, who probably know just a tad more about medicine than you do, disagree. To quote one of the studies they cite “This study found that the chances of these adults testing positive for COVID-19 were 5.49 times higher in unvaccinated people who had COVID-19 in the past than they were for those who had been vaccinated for COVID and had not had an infection before.” You’ll note they strongly recommend people that have had Covid get vaccinated. But to use your words, I suspect you are “beyond any help” and will believe what you want to believe irrespective of medical studies to the contrary.

          https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/covid-natural-immunity-what-you-need-to-know

    • Anonymous says:

      Jill Ferdinands, PhD, of the CDC, reported that vaccine effectiveness (VE) can drop to 31% at 5 months post booster. That’s not quite zero, but it’s heading in that direction. It’s certainly much less than fully-bulletproof, but unfortunately after 2 years of life on hold, nobody really cares anymore. We aren’t even using the LFTs we have as a matter of public courtesy.

      • Anonymous says:

        Speak only for yourself, not the great “we”. I use an LFT several times a week. I am in constant contact with the public, and many of them the elderly.

        • Anonymous says:

          Royal we = the “let’s move on” brigade (many of whom have had it once or twice already) aren’t testing themselves anymore, wearing masks, and were probably never distancing or washing hands.

    • Anonymous says:

      Please cite your sources. Show us your proof that we are no longer protected if boosted 5 or more months ago.

      • Anonymous says:

        Go take an antibody test. No one needs to prove anything to you! Take the initiative rather than depending on mainstream media and CNS to tell you what is already out in the public domain!

    • Anonymous says:

      That is absolute nonsense. If you are triple jabbed, even more than 5 months ago, you are vaccinated and way better protected and less likely to die than unvaccinated. Unvaccinated deaths only have themselves to blame.

      • Anonymous says:

        Imagine an unvaccinated person wearing a proper mask and distancing catches Covid from a vaccinated person who believes the jab provides immunity, and not wearing a mask properly or not at all.

        Whose fault is it now?

    • Anonymous says:

      You are very uninformed, or an idiot. This nonsense is one of the reasons people are skeptical – garbage vs science.

      I’d love to see your reference from a peer reviewed publication of what you claim to be fact.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Here’s what is key to this story: elderly unvaccinated.

    Most importantly….unvaccinated.

    Let the rest of us live without all these stupid restrictions. Unmask the poor little children! Ditch exit tests (never should have started with those!).

    CIG needs to stop the fear mongering and “follow the science” like they claim to do.

    • Anonymous says:

      Exactly Exactly I agree with you. Stop the quarantine nonsense too. Just a word of advice. The LFTS being used here have been recalled long ago. Pure false Positive test. Those in the blue and white boxes.

  9. Anonymous says:

    COVID is not gone! And thanks to cruise ships spewing untested crowds into our country, another surge is possible. All those ridiculing mask mandates and other precautions haven’t had COVID. From experience I know that even a so-called mild case can be terrible, especially for elderly and immunocompromised vaccinated people!
    WHO said BA.2 Omicron subvariant now dominant strain worldwide

    In today’s NY Times: “The World Health Organization said Thursday that the fast-spreading BA.2 Omicron coronavirus subvariant has become the dominant strain worldwide. BA.2 accounted for 86 percent of global COVID-19 cases reported to the organization in the last month. The highly contagious subvariant has been spreading in parts of Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East since late 2021. It is already dominant in the Americas. A third of new cases in the United States are BA.2, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.

    • Bert says:

      And, with vaccination it now is less dangerous that flu. It is endemic too now, so there is no point in cowering as it is not going anywhere.

    • Anonymous says:

      WHO CARES??? Cases don’t matter. We had thousands of reported positives last (and who knows how many unreported but definitely a LOT) and a handful of people who were mostly unvaccinated ended up in hospital. We can’t keep living with these restrictions. Such overreach.

  10. Top of the Morning says:

    Stopped reading at “unvaccinated”.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Bermuda has not always done the correct things about Covid but they are now. As of yesterday Bermuda has authorized a 2nd booster for over 65’s. That is what Cayman should do rather than run some experiment to see how many will get sick with the new variant.

    https://bernews.com/2022/03/fourth-dose-covid-19-vaccine-approved/

  12. Annie says:

    I have an at risk senior member of my family that refuses to be vaccinated, and believes in the anti-vaccination conspiracy. They send me garbage from Facebook almost daily. What can we do? Lock up everyone to protect him? That is unreasonable. Life is full of choices. You make yours I will make mine. But do not force me to have no life, because you believe your opinion is more valid.

    • Guido Marsupio says:

      I think you can cite “you reap what you sow” and not feel bad about the senior member. Adults have to make their own choices, even if we think they are wrong. Remember then fondly when they pass.

  13. Anonymous says:

    Another tragedy for a Caymanian family.

    Covid levels are rising again in the countries that send tourists to Cayman. Levels of immunity drop over time particularly among those over 65. No amount of local gene sequencing will change that. The UK, Australia and Singapore are all recommending second boosters for at risk people. It is obvious that we should be doing the same.

    • Caymanian says:

      This is why PACT approach is so stupid. Just when vaccines are wearing off and there is a global uptick in cases we are exposing ourselves even more

      So smart PACT.

      • Anonymous says:

        Who would have thought allowing thousands of cruise ship passengers here would create resurgence?

        The answer is anyone with an unbiased mind and it will get worse as hordes of the unmasked cruisers were in public spaces and super spreader events such as the one at the Ritz.

        • Anonymous says:

          You mean the job fair that everyone has been demanding for those that can’t get off a couch and get a job?

    • Anonymous says:

      Condescending remarks about your family member??? Not nice!

      You do not HAVE an at risk senior member, he or she doesn’t belong to you.

      The most mind numbingly idiotic mission in human history is to jab the entire Earth’s population with ribonucleic acid messenger.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Pfizer’s oral antiviral treatment is much more effective at saving lives than masking children in schools or PCR testing every individual who already knows they are positive for Covid.

    If we want to save lives, can the health minister please bring in some antiviral treatments?

    • Anonymous says:

      THey are already here, I know of a couple who have had treatments.
      I find it interesting that you’re willing to take the RX that have DEFINATELY not yet been around for long but unwilling to take the vax that billons have taken? And given how vaccines work they don’t stay in your system.

      • Anonymous says:

        Vaccinated people are willing to take antiviral treatments. That is why they are needed in Cayman. There is only one currently available, molnupiravir, which is not recommended for everyone, yet there are many more options available in other countries.

        If you get really sick, as some people have done, would you prefer there be an available antiviral?

      • Trump Had The Election Stolen From Him says:

        For some reason Republicans, Fox News viewers, religious extremists and the stupid, (there is a fair amount of overlap), seem to pick and choose which medical treatments are acceptable to them. Tablets that might work after you are already infected and ill are OK. Vaccines that stop you getting ill in the first place are not OK.

    • Anonymous says:

      and its only $700 for a course, compared to $10 for the vaccine or a couple of dollars for a mask.

      Seems a good way to waste money, and the new anti-viral drugs have been tested far less than the vaccines.

  15. Anonymous says:

    I wish the news outlets would stop trying to scare us with reporting on numbers of cases. It’s like reporting on the number of people with the common cold or flu. Unmask all of us. NOW. Including our kids. Enough is enough!

  16. Anonymous says:

    I’ll bet most of Tuesday’s reported cases were from the Irish Green party at the Ritz. 500 ppl inside not wearing masks or taking LFT for attendance. Events like this should be in our beautiful outdoors not a putrid function room. We have to live with this virus but we do not have to be reckless either.

    • Anonymous says:

      LFTing is easy and polite thing to do.

    • Anonymous says:

      very irresponsible of the organisers and the attendees. Why am I not surprised though

    • Top of the Mornin' says:

      It was a super party, and life needs to go on. No point in stopping our freedom because idiots wanted to exercise their “freedom” to refuse the vaccine.

      • Anonymous says:

        Right, but a little irresponsible not to follow government guidelines here, but if you all had fun so what if someone died. It was a great crack

        • Bobo Fett says:

          Imagine being so selfish to think a super spreader event was a good idea.

          The virus may have spread throughout the crowd and they may have infected others after said event.

          The epitome of selfishness and entitlement.

        • Swed says:

          If someone wants to risk their life but not getting jabbed, then I am not going to put living life on hold for their sake. Their stupid “freedom” should not curtail our freedoms.

      • Anonymous says:

        I’m boosted, double vaccinated and cought the virus for the first time at this event. Believe me the way I feel and having to isolate for 8 days minimum does not make it worthwhile. Agree we have to get on with it and my bad for going but these things need to be outside or masked with LFT on the door.

        • Anonymous says:

          So you had the double jab plus booster and you still got covid?

          Are you going to continue getting more jabs?

  17. Anonymous says:

    Sometimes I feel that we are the guinea pigs in a science experiment. Covid numbers are rising in Europe and N. America again in large part due to the Omicron variant BA2. We have thousands of people arriving from N. America and Europe every week and as a direct result it is inevitable that Covid numbers and hospitalizations will rise as the majority of at risk people got their first boosters 5 – 6 months ago and their immunity is waning. However, rather than permitting/encouraging at risk patients to get the second booster in order to keep hospitalizations down, it seems that somebody has come to a decision to allow some percentage of the population to get sick before releasing the second booster. That makes no sense.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Bermuda is boosting over 65’s – those at risk. Not pushing vaccinations for children.
    What is wrong with our government? Still ‘following the science’?
    No where else in the world requires exit PCR testing. What is wrong with our government? Still ‘following the science’?
    Pray tell us who is giving you your scientific data? Where is it published? Not in any of the scientific journals.

    • Anonymous says:

      Cayman has enough vaccines for over 65’s AND kids. Very few counties in the world can boast that. Do the right thing and make the most of it. You might as well pull your kids from science class because they are going to fail miserable with your rhetoric.

      • Anonymous says:

        I wrote the comments re Bermuda. My kids are adults & both hold senior jobs in scientific fields & have had their work published.

  19. Anonymous says:

    The first three words of the article are the only ones worth reading.

    • Anonymous says:

      First two.

      • Anonymous says:

        So the elderly are expendable? Remember there is only one way to escape old age: dying young.

        • Anonymous says:

          There should a cap at 85, millions would be saved on healthcare alone.

          • Anonymous says:

            Wow, my father was quite healthy up until 90 years old when he fell down and broke his hip. I would have been deprived of 8 years with him. It is a shame that people think so little of our elderly. They built Cayman. They are the ones that sent home money to build houses and start businesses. You are a very sad person. I would do anything to have him still be with me today at 97 years old. To listen to his stories and know so much about our history. We lost a part of Cayman when we lost him and others like him.

        • Anon says:

          Not all the elderly, just the ones too stupid to get the vaccine.

          • Anonymous says:

            They may not be able to take the vaccine. Not everyone can tolerate it. Even younger people are having problems.

            • Guido Marsupio says:

              Stop reading propaganda. Infinitesimal numbers of people can’t take the vaccine. It’s the stupid ones that claim they can’t that are playing you, and are playing with their own lives and those of their families. And for what gain? Bragging rights on FB? Mother nature and/or God will ultimately decide an individual’s fate, and I’m betting the medicos have it in tighter with them than the corrupt politicians.

  20. C'Mon Now! says:

    Numbers are definitely understated. People are not reporting as the “non-Exit” protocols are out of line with the risk.

    Most people who test positive on a LFT are quietly waiting things out at home (in breach of the regulations) but if you report to HSA you risk a minimum of 7days before official release and the dreaded PCR test could keep you under house arrest for several weeks if you are unlucky.

    This is hard to get your head around when PACT has invited 1,000s of untested and uncontrolled cruise shippers to our shores daily.

    Plus if we look to UK guidance it is substantially more reasonable given where we are with this now:
    https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-52530518

  21. Anonymous says:

    said it before… no-one who is relatively healthy, under 70, who is vaxxed, will die from covid.
    get vaxxed.

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