Community outbreak on the rise, as 153 new COVID cases discovered

Cayman’s COVID-19 community outbreak continues to spread as new data from medical officials shows an additional 153 people have tested positive for the virus, along with one traveller.

The true extent of the spread of the virus is unclear, as the latest data, in a press release issued on behalf of the Ministry of Health, is two days behind.

On Friday 29 Oct., shortly after 4pm, the government-issued statement said that, as of 8am Thursday Oct., there had been 1,845 PCR tests conducted.

“Of these, there were 154 positive tests comprising one positive traveller and 153 positive tests from the community,” reads the statement in part.

Genomic sequencing has shown that a further 21 samples with higher viral loads are the Delta variant, according to the release.

“The genomic sequences of all of the community cases to date appear to be closely related to that of the first community case observed in early September 2021,” the release said.

The additional 154 positive results now brings the total number of active cases to 646, with 1,002 persons having recovered. Of the active cases, four remain hospitalised.

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At the time of publication, there was no breakdown for the number of people who were symptomatic or asymptomatic. Additionally, no details have been provided on the number of people in isolation.

Current information on quarantined people is two days old, because those numbers reflected Cayman’s levels as of Monday 25 Oct., at which time 1,458 people were in isolation.

In a pre-recorded video update by Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee, which was issued on Wednesday, 27 Oct., he warned that increased cases had created a backlog within the Public Health’s labs.

Vaccination numbers

According to Public Health, as of Friday, 29 Oct., 114,351 vaccinations have been administered in the Cayman Islands.

Of that number 56,488 people, or 79% of the estimated total population, have received one dose, while 54,311 people, or 76% of the total, have received both doses.

Lateral flow testing

In light of the growing community spread of COVID-19, government has issued a national policy for lateral flow testing, as well as a guidance policy for children and students.