Cayman’s COVID-19 death toll rose by three on Wednesday, as health officials confirmed a new death over the last week due to coronavirus complications and two previous deaths that have now been linked to the virus.
These deaths take Cayman’s COVID-19-related death toll to 21.
According to the COVID-19 situational report released Wednesday an unvaccinated patient with “severe comorbidities” died during Epidemiological Week 9 which ran from 27 February – 5 March.
It also stated that two other deaths have been retroactively ruled as COVID-related.
“This brings the total number of COVID-19 related deaths to 21 since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. Delays in classification and reporting of deaths are due to a combination of factors, including waiting for autopsy and home deaths,” the report said.
The vaccination statuses of the two retroactive deaths have not been released, nor the time of their deaths.
Omicron waning in community
COVID-19 cases, the report said, continues to decline.
“Although the positive rate (PCR positive over total number of PCR tests carried out) has been slightly higher (16.5%) this week than the previous week (15%). Still, daily average and case rate have continued to decrease, further indicating that the Omicron wave is waning in the Cayman Islands,” the report said.
Internationally, the report stated, the Omicron variant has continued to spread broadly in Europe and other countries in the world, including Hong Kong and South Korea and is rapidly replacing the Delta variant as the leading variant.
“Omicron’s ability to evade the protective effect of antibodies, both from the natural disease and vaccination, has left large portions of the population susceptible to infection. This has resulted in a larger number of cases registered, higher than in precedent waves,” it said.
However, the report reminded that the protective effect of vaccination (especially booster doses) and “reduced severity of the virus have resulted in lower hospitalisation and mortality rates than in earlier waves”.
Locally, positive cases reported to Public Health between Monday and Tuesday amounted to 54: 23 on Monday and 31 on Tuesday.
“There are 592 estimated active cases of COVID-19 in the Cayman Islands. Six patients are currently hospitalised for COVID related causes and of these, 5 are unvaccinated. The Sister Islands also noted 6 new cases since the last report, bringing total cases since the beginning of the pandemic to 600,” the daily trends report stated.
COVID-19 cases crossed the 20,000 mark over the reporting period, with 20,073 cases confirmed.
Over the reporting period, 17 people were hospitalised with more than half of them (63%) being vaccinated.
Eight were new admissions, four of the 17 were in intensive care, three are ventilated and three are on supplemental oxygen.
Slow uptick in kids vaccine
Although the administering of the children’s vaccine begun in earnest over Epi. Week 9 the report noted a “slow start” in the children’s vaccination campaign.
It said a total of 234 doses have been given so far during the first five dedicated clinics to children ages 5 through 11.
Two of the clinics were for the at-risk group of children.
A total of 191 first doses were administered to kids between 5-11 over the reporting period.
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