Two more deaths from COVID-19 were reported on Tuesday, in the latest update from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, bringing Cayman’s total number of deaths connected to the virus to 11.
The update notes that two people of the 11 were fully vaccinated and those two cases are described as having had “severe comorbidities”.
It comes as interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. Autilia Newton stated there were 10 newly-suspected Omicron cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of suspected cases of the highly-contagious variant to 54.
Genomic sequencing of potential Omicron cases is said to be underway. The Public Health Department is expected to provide further details “within the next few days”.
To date, there have been four confirmed cases of the Omicron variant found in the Cayman Islands.
The latest suspected Omicron cases are among 52 COVID-19 positive results reported by Newton, comprising three from travellers and 49 from the community. Public Health reported 682 PCR tests were conducted in total on Tuesday.
These results bring the number of active cases of COVID-19 to 3,516, and the total number of cases recorded since the start of the pandemic to 8,326.
The total number of persons in isolation linked to community transmission at midnight on Wednesday, 22 Dec., was 3,483.
In addition, six COVID-19 patients were in hospital at that time.
The Public Health Department also confirmed that the total positive lateral flow tests, since the introduction of the programme, reached 2,182. These are included in the total positive numbers given above.
There was also one new case of COVID-19 in the Sister Islands. To date, there have been 123 total cases recorded in the Sister Islands, with 120 having recovered. Out of the total number of cases in the Sister Islands, 64 were fully vaccinated, six were partially vaccinated, and 53 were unvaccinated.
There have been 58,666 people (83% of the estimated population of 71,106) who have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while, 57,001 individuals (80%) have completed the two-dose course. And 16,089 people (representing 23% of the total population) have received a third, or booster, dose.
Long lines were reported at the Health Services Authority’s recently-relocated vaccination and testing clinic on Wednesday, as demand soared for travel-related testing ahead of the Christmas holiday.
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The Science has come through with some good news on Omicron -for a change 🙂 Although it is still vastly more infectious than anything before, EARLY indications show it is looking less likely to make you seriously ill. Though the data is based mainly young people (so its still a little early to predict the effect on the elderly. However, it does come with a warning. Omicron is going to hit hard and fast after Christmas and still has the potential to put many of our healthcare staff in isolation, which could put our whole healthcare system seriously at risk. The cases on Cayman will rise relentlessly, particularly as many people are unfortunately avoiding testing and about to party/socialise. To keep Cayman safe. Limit close contact, stay outside when meeting people, stop hugging, use masks, test if ill, and above all get fully vaccinated as soon as you can. Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst and have a happy Christmas and a SAFER new year.