Confirmed or suspected Omicron cases are on the rise in Cayman. The new COVID-19 variant is suspected to be behind 341 cases since 21 Dec., compared with a reported 729 positive PCR test results during that time.
The total number of probable Omicron cases in Cayman reached 332 on Friday, while an additional 44 cases have been confirmed to be the new variant.
Data from the UK and South Africa indicates that Omicron is a much more contagious but somewhat milder variant than Delta.
In South Africa, where Omicron was on the rise since November, the country’s fourth COVID-19 wave has peaked. Despite more cases, it resulted in fewer hospitalisations and deaths than previous waves, government officials said last week.
In Cayman, five COVID-19 patients were hospitalised at midnight on Friday, 31 Dec. Of these, one patient was newly admitted.
Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. Autilia Newton reported 137 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. They included nine travellers and 128 members from the community.
A total of 88 positives resulted from 751 PCR tests and 49 were detected by lateral flow tests, also known as rapid antigen tests.
The total number of cases recorded in the Cayman Islands since the start of the pandemic has reached 9,080.
In the Sister Islands, which saw no cases for much of December another three new cases were found on Friday, bringing the number of active cases to 17.
Vaccination rates in Cayman remained at 83% for one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 80% for full vaccination. In addition, 24% of the population have received a booster shot.
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