The rapidly growing number of COVID cases in the Cayman Islands is leading to a delay in notifying those who have tested positive, Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee said on Wednesday.
Lee, in his daily video update issued around 5pm, did not state how many new cases had been found today. On Tuesday, he announced 90 new positive cases in the local community – the highest number of cases recorded in a single day here.
He acknowledged that there were some people who “were somewhat disgruntled” that they had not received their test results within 24 hours, “but with the growing number of cases, it’s becoming increasingly difficult” to provide that information in that time period, he said.
Up until now, Public Health has been phoning people to inform them that they have tested positive, but due to the increase in cases, COVID-positive individuals now will be contacted by Public Health via email, in much the same way that people are informed that they are negative.
That email will contain directions regarding isolation, Lee said. Vaccinated people who test positive will be asked to quarantine at home for 10 days and unvaccinated people will need to isolate for 15 days.
Lee said the large majority of people in Cayman who get infected will “sail through this”, especially if vaccinated. He said most individuals will only have mild symptoms, like a stuffy nose, sore throat, cough and fever, and he advised people with such symptoms to take paracetamol.
He also urged people to prepare in advance for quarantine, as they would for a hurricane, by stocking up on food, essential medicine and water.
After Lee issued his video, Governor Martyn Roper said on social media, “Dr. Lee’s message today offers reassurance to the community about the recent upsurge in COVID-19 cases. I recognise this is a shock after we have lived comfortably and COVID free in our safe bubble for over a year.”
The governor noted that while Cayman now has “lots of cases, hospitalisations are very few and those in hospital are doing well. We should remain calm.”
He added, “We each have an individual responsibility to protect ourselves and our community. I encourage everyone to follow closely the health guidance. Wear a mask indoors, keep washing your hands and maintain a social distance. Those who aren’t vaccinated should make it a priority. The vaccine will protect you and the most vulnerable from serious illness or dying.”
Roper also acknowledged concerns in the community that allowing tourists to return in November, when Cayman’s borders are set to reopen, may increase COVID numbers even more.
“However, as I mentioned in my statement last week, in Turks and Caicos, which has stayed open to tourists, the majority of Covid cases are not from tourists, but from the local population travelling overseas and then circulating in the community,” he said.
“Removing quarantine for vaccinated travellers on 20 November is unlikely to increase our exposure to Covid dramatically.”
As the local number of COVID cases have shot up in recent weeks, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month placed Cayman on its high-risk list of travel destinations.
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