Positive COVID tests continued to drop last week with fewer than 1,000 weekly new cases detected for the first time in a month.
The Ministry of Health’s situational report for the week from 6-12 Feb. showed 979 new cases. That was about 700 fewer positive PCR tests than in the previous week.
The data suggests that Cayman is now well past the peak of the Omicron wave that started two months ago.
Although no new deaths were reported during the week, the report highlighted what it described as a previously unrecorded COVID death, “as additional, retrospective information was gathered and verified against previously held records”.
The Compass has reached out to the ministry for more information on this, and is awaiting a response.
This brings the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 to 17.
Hospitalisations declined from 26 to 21 inpatients at both the Health Services Authority’s hospital in George Town and Health City Cayman Islands in East End.
The report showed that 16 children under the age of 10 required hospital admission since September 2021 out of a total of 175.
The arrival of paediatric vaccine vials on Thursday, 17 Feb, from the United Kingdom government, signals the imminent start of a booster campaign for children aged 5 to 11 years old, which will take place alongside the general booster campaign, the ministry said in a press release.
The report noted that, internationally, COVID cases remained high but many countries were seeing a decline in hospital admissions and deaths, prompting them to start lifting restrictions.
“The pace of restrictions being lifted varies amongst countries, with some, such as England, accelerating it. Although this is welcome news, there are warnings from prominent scientists that the pandemic is not over yet and the threats from new variants developing must not be forgotten,” the report said.
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“The pace of restrictions being lifted varies amongst countries, with some, such as England, accelerating it. Although this is welcome news, there are warnings from prominent scientists that the pandemic is not over yet and the threats from new variants developing must not be forgotten,”
This information is enough to not even bother hoping for reduced restrictions in Cayman. This sets up the press briefing for noting more than promoting the booster campaign. I’ll be the first to admit it if I’m wrong about this but somehow I do not see CIG backing down on the 2/5/7 testing requirement or PCR to exit quarantine. I expect they will use the comment above as justification for continuing with over-testing and they will put forth a 60% booster requirement as the baseline for removing any of the current restrictions. IF it’s even possible to reach a 60% booster target It will come many months from now.
There will always be the threat of new Covid variants, much like there is always the threat of flu each year. Do not misunderstand I am not comparing Covid to the flu in the sense that we have seen great devastation from Covid yet it is a virus, and like the flu and other viruses variants are common and happen frequently. Living under covid restrictions because of the threat of a new covid variant is, in my opinion, unacceptable.
I hope I am wrong about the message to be shared in the press briefing but as the old saying goes, I’m hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
BTW I’m vaxxed and booster but if a 4th booster is suggested, I’m a hard NO.
And let me jump in here and say I WAS WRONG and I AM HAPPY TO ADMIT IT!!!