Nearly 500 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported since New Year’s Eve, according to the latest update from Public Health.
Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. Autilia Newton said, as of midnight on 4 Jan., 491 cases were detected in PCR or lateral flow tests, with 429 in the community and 62 among travellers.
The update did not include information on how many of the new cases involved the highly contagious Omicron variant, but Public Health did state that there are now a total of 565 confirmed or probable cases of that strain locally.
To date, genomic sequencing has confirmed 89 cases of Omicron in Cayman. There are also 476 probable cases – those that have been detected by PCR tests, but not yet confirmed with genomic sequencing.
The latest results bring the total number of COVID cases in Cayman since the start of the pandemic to 9,509.
According to the update, six COVID-19 patients were hospitalised in the Cayman Islands, including three who were admitted since 31 Dec.
There was no data released on the number of current active cases on island.
11 new cases on Sister Islands
Public Health reported 11 new cases in the Sister Islands since 31 Dec., bringing those islands’ total to 149, with 127 having recovered.
So far, one Omicron case has been confirmed on Cayman Brac, and that person has already fully recovered, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health.
Vaccinations update
As of 4 Jan., 58,853 people – or 83% of an estimated population of 71,106 – have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 57,259 individuals (80%) have completed the two-dose course.
In addition, 17,296 people (representing 24% of the total population) had received a third, or booster, dose.
Related Videos
