Tag: Dr Nick Gent
Cannabis ‘gummies’ delivered without prescription
(CNS): Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Gent is asking medical professionals and pharmacists to follow the law when it comes to the dispensing and prescription of cannabis products, as all forms of the drug are illegal here unless prescribed by a doctor. After a local pharmacy mistakenly delivered cannabis gummies to a young patient without […]
COVID vaccine becomes a seasonal shot
(CNS): Local cases of COVID-19 are on the decline and the last batch of Moderna vaccines on-island has expired. Therefore, the Public Health Department will no longer offer the shots on a monthly basis but will instead administer them seasonally, as is the case with the flu vaccines. Officials told CNS that since April, when […]
Anti-tobacco UN treaty extended to Cayman
(CNS): The World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has been extended to the Cayman Islands, the first UK Overseas Territory in the region to request and receive this extension. Cayman officials said that the FCTC, one of the most rapidly and widely embraced treaties in the history of the United Nations, would […]
No easy fixes for giant sargassum ‘blob’
(CNS): Dubbed the ‘great blob’, the ever-increasing sargassum belt that circulates in the Atlantic has grown to more than 5,500 miles across and is currently moving through our region. Government officials are warning that the belt is likely to wash ashore in the Cayman Islands again this year. But there is no easy fix. Officials […]
Ministry to conduct WHO health survey of 3,300 homes
(CNS): The Ministry of Health has announced plans to undertake the World Health Organization’s “STEPS” survey in June. The internationally comparable, standardised and integrated surveillance tool allows officials to collect, analyse and disseminate core information on noncommunicable diseases (NCD). Noting the importance of getting a true picture of NCD in the Cayman Islands, officials said that […]
New COVID variant does not present increased threat, says CMO
(CNS): The Ministry of Health and Wellness is not the source of information circulating widely on social media about the COVID-19 XBB variant, according to a release from the ministry. Contrary to misinformation, the ministry stressed that this latest variant of the coronavirus, which is still infecting dozens of residents here in Cayman, has not […]
Patient dies amid speculation of local COVID spike
(CNS): On Saturday, 3 December, the Health Services Authority reported one COVID-related death in a patient with severe comorbidity, bringing the local death toll in relation to the virus to 37. The news of the latest loss of life comes against significant anecdotal evidence that COVID-19 is spiking in the community, with many people at […]
Cayman needs to improve HIV surveillance
(CNS): As the world marks HIV Day today, Friday, Cayman Islands officials have said that surveillance of the virus needs to improve, given the risks of the transient population and the lack of comprehensive sex education and sexual health programmes. Six new cases of HIV were identified in the country this year and a total […]
Imported dengue case on Brac but no local spread
(CNS): The Public Health Department has confirmed one case of dengue fever on Cayman Brac in an individual who had travelled from a country where the virus is common but said there had been no local transmission of the mosquito-borne virus. Although there was one previous case in August, PHD said there had been no […]
COVID patient with other health problems dies
(CNS): The Health Services Authority has reported that a COVID-19 patient who was suffering from severe comorbidities died on Thursday. The patient had received two doses of the vaccine but had not had a booster shot. Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Gent stressed the importance of the vaccination and the booster doses for the elderly […]
CMO to lay foundations to improve public health
(CNS): The new chief medical officer for the Cayman Islands, Dr Nick Gent, has been in office for two weeks, and according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, he will be focusing on public health. Dr Gent has made several media appearances to promote the COVID-19 and flu vaccines and booster […]
