EASTERN AVENUE TM & © 2021 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. Get it while it’s hot! cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 12-18 November 2021 5 NOVEMBER Active cases cross 2,500 14 AUGUST Cayman ‘very low’ risk, according to CDC Bubble bursts Spike in cases takes Cayman from safe haven to world’s COVID hotspot in two months. Page 3 8 NOVEMBER CDC rates Cayman ‘very high’ risk 1 NOVEMBER Active cases pass 1,000 27 OCTOBER CDC labels Cayman ‘high’ risk 9 SEPTEMBER Community outbreak begins 25 OCTOBER COVID outbreak on Sister Islands More than two-thirds of COVID cases unvaccinated The overwhelming majority of COVID cases, and most COVID- related hospitalisations in Cayman, affect the unvaccinated. Chief Nursing Officer Dr. Hazel Brown reported as part of weekly COVID trends that in the first week of November, 70% of people testing positive for COVID and 87% of hospital admissions were not vaccinated. During the week from Sunday, 31 Oct. to Sat., 6 Nov., Cayman saw an average of 178 new COVID-19 cases per day, amounting to a weekly total of 1,251 new cases. About a third of positive tests (405) were among children and adolescents under the age of 18, including three in babies under the age of one. Only 16 people over the age of 70 tested positive. These figures and the average age of 30 for those testing positive, reflect both the effectiveness of COVID vaccines and the lower vaccination rates among younger age groups, especially in children under the age of 12, who cannot yet be vaccinated in Cayman. Independent security review for Frances Bodden Children’s Home A day after a Cayman Compass report highlighted the silence from government officials following the alleged sexual assault of a child at the Frances Bodden Children’s Home last week, government confirmed on 11 Nov. that a review of security operations at the facility will be undertaken. “Given the magnitude of the incident and with the primary focus being the safety and wellbeing of our children, the Ministry will authorize an independent review of the safety and security practices of the home. This will not replace or conflict with the ongoing investigation by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service,” a statement from the Ministry of Social Development and the Department of Children and Family Services stated. It said that both government entities were aware of the “extremely distressing and troubling incident” which occurred at the Savannah facility, which is managed and operated by the CAYS Foundation. The statement came almost a week after the sexual assault of the child was made public by the police and following multiple Compass requests for comment on the situation, in particular regarding changes to security at the home. Responding to queries from the Compass about the status of the investigation, police responded that the matter was “ongoing” and “all lines of enquiry are being looked into”. Vaccine clinics close as Pfizer doses run out On 10 Nov., Cayman’s Public Health Department confirmed that the islands’ supply of Pfizer vaccines had been fully utilised, due to “the success in the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine over recent weeks”. According to a statement sent by Public Health, the Governor’s Office has confirmed that a new batch from the UK containing 11,700 Pfizer vaccine doses is expected to arrive on the British Airways flight on Friday, 12 Nov. The department confirmed that, as a result, the COVID-19 vaccination clinics will be closed from Thursday, 11 Nov. through Saturday, 13 Nov. to allow time for “transport, logistics and cold chain quality assurance of the new vaccines”, the statement said. Clinics are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, 16 Nov. Meanwhile, Government Information Services has asked the public to stay tuned to official channels for the revised vaccination schedule, to confirm times and locations. Tourism Ministry: CDC advisory will not ‘negatively impact’ sector The Tourism Ministry has called the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory against travelling to the Cayman Islands “regrettable”, but says raising the jurisdiction to level 4 – very high risk of COVID-19 – does not mean the industry will be “negatively affected”. “Looking around the region and beyond, being at level 4 has not been shown to have any long term or immediate negative impacts on the economies or tourism products of our competitors who were placed there before us, and are now at level 3. The Cayman Islands is expected to follow suit,” the ministry said in a statement issued on 9 Nov. However, Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart believes otherwise. He said the CDC moving Cayman to level 4, coupled with The New York Times ranking of Cayman as having the highest per capita number of cases in the world over the last seven days (see page 3), will have consequences. “These events have severe implications for our tourism business – particularly as we are poised to re-open our borders and reintroduce visitors to our Islands. We will have tourists willing to visit, but the rise in community spread of the virus, coupled with the CDC recommending travellers avoid the Islands, will temper any enthusiasm for visitors to come here,” McTaggart said in a statement issued on 9 Nov. Testing key to keeping frontline workers in action Regular testing, enhanced staffing and overtime are among the measures being introduced to keep emergency services fully operational, as COVID-19 cases continue to escalate. Fire, police and health chiefs insist they have plans in place to prevent virus and quarantine- related absenteeism from impacting critical services. Cayman currently has more than 2,000 active COVID cases – all of whom are in isolation along with scores of others classified as ‘primary contacts’ of those cases. The surge has taken its toll on the workforce and key public services have not been immune. A policy of allowing vaccinated personnel to avoid quarantine and continue working – if they produce daily negative lateral flow tests – is expected to reduce the amount of key staff put out of action at any one time. COVID spike prompts Pirates Week postponement Cayman’s signature festival, Pirates Week, has been postponed due to the continuing rise of local COVID-19 cases. In a brief notice, days ahead of the anticipated event, the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Culture and Heritage, along with the Pirates Week Office, announced the decision not to go ahead with the majority of the planned festivities. “November’s Pirates Week 2021 landing, parade and district day activities have been postponed due to safety concerns with the ongoing community spread of Covid-19,” the notice stated. This is the second year that the event has had to adapt due to the pandemic. Last year, the Grand Cayman festivities were first postponed due to inclement weather that had been predicted ahead of the weekend. A pared-back schedule of events was held later in the month. This time around, the jump in local cases prompted the decision to postpone. Matinees (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00 (Mon-Fri before 6pm) Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets 640-FILM (640-3456) Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. WHAT’S PLAYING THIS WEEK ETERNALS (PG-13) (FRI, SUN-MON, WED-THURS) 3:20 VIP | 6:20 VIP | 6:45 | 9:45 VIP (SAT) 1:00 VIP | 3:20 VIP | 6:20 VIP | 6:45 | 9:45 VIP (TUES) 3:35 VIP | 6:45 | 8:00 VIP DUNE (PG-13) (FRI, SUN-MON, WED-THURS) 4:00 | 7:30 | 9:15 VIP (SAT) 12:35 | 4:00 | 7:30 | 9:15 VIP (TUES) 4:00 | 7:30 MONSTER FAMILY 2 (R) (FRI) 3:50 VIP | 4:10 | 6:45 VIP (SAT) 1:20 VIP | 1:30 | 4:25 VIP | 6:45 VIP (SUN-MON, WED-THURS) 4:25 VIP | 6:45 VIP (TUES) 4:25 VIP NO TIME TO DIE (PG-13) (FRI) 3:30 VIP | 4:25 | 7:00 VIP | 8:00 (SAT) 12:55 | 4:25 | 7:00 VIP | 8:00 (SUN-THURS) 4:25 | 7:00 VIP | 8:00 RON’S GONE WRONG (PG) (SAT-TUES & THURS) 4:00 VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE (PG-13) (FRI) 10:10 | 10:30 VIP (SAT) 12:45 VIP | 3:55 VIP | 10:10 | 10:30 VIP (SUN-MON & WED-THURS) 3:55 VIP | 10:10 | 10:30 VIP (TUES) 5:35 VIP | 10:10 | 10:10 VIP | 10:30 VIP CLASSICS APOLLO 13 (PG) TUESDAY 7PM KIDS CLUB MARY POPPINS (1964) SATURDAY 10AM VIP AVAILABLE (G) weather Friday Forecast FORECAST Partly cloudy skies with cloudy spells and a 40% chance of evening showers and possible thunder. SEA STATE Slight with heights 1 to 3 feet. caymancompass.comfacebook.com/caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass WINDS East to northeast at 5 to 10 knots. 87°F HIGH 77°F LOW PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Cayman Compass Ltd. Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: T: (345) 949-5111 E: sales@compassmedia.ky W: caymancompass.com PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KEVIN MORALES FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass Cayman’s pirates will be dry-docked this year, as several planned events are postponed due to a spike in local COVID cases. - Photo: Taneos Ramsay news in brief cayman compass 2 N news FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2021MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@compassmedia.ky The Cayman Islands is currently the world’s hotspot for new COVID-19 cases. For the past week, the New York Times featured Cayman at the top of the list for daily average cases per 100,000 people. Cayman’s daily average rate of 178 new COVID cases in the first week of November means it leads the world, when that figure is adjusted for Cayman’s population size. The number of people testing positive jumped almost fivefold in the past 14 days, the data shows. This increase is also the fastest in the world when countries with only a handful of cases are excluded. Comparing such data globally must come with the caveat that not all countries are testing equally. Some countries may barely test at all or fail to properly collate or publish the data. But Cayman’s first true COVID wave is building rapidly. Cayman’s positive COVID cases soar In the past six weeks, active cases have skyrocketed from 70 on 1 Oct. to 2,185 on 8 Nov. During that period, the positivity rate – the share of COVID-19 tests that come back positive – also soared from an average of 1.8% for the week ending 8 Oct. to 11.4% last week. A high positivity rate can sometimes indicate that there is insufficient testing. This is not the case in Cayman. Since 1 Oct. on average 1.18% of population was PCR tested every single day. That figure does not include self- administered lateral flow tests. The number of local active cases relative to the population is equally high. In Cayman, a total of 3% of the population are known to be infected with the coronavirus. In the US, that rate is 2.76% and in the UK 2.29% of the population are testing positive for COVID-19, based on data from the website worldometers.info which aggregates information from individual government sources. Globally, Cayman is among the top 15 countries in this category, but the situation is significantly worse in the French-speaking Caribbean. In Guadeloupe, St. Barth or Martinique, more than 11% of the population are considered active COVID cases. The rapid increase in cases in Cayman largely reflects how contagious the Delta variant of the virus is, once it takes hold in the community. But it says little about the severity of the cases. This depends to some extent on the age groups affected and the level of vaccination or natural immunity in the community. While Cayman’s population has not developed any natural immunity, due to the absence of cases for most of the past 18 months, the local vaccination rate is very high. The New York Times data shows that Cayman has the fifth- highest vaccination rate in the world, trailing only Gibraltar, the United Arab Emirates, Portugal and Malta. The rate of 83% for Cayman uses previously reported, rather than adjusted, population figures for the islands. Based on a population estimate of 71,106, the Cayman Islands government puts the local vaccination rate at 80% for the first dose and 77% for fully vaccinated people. Bermuda suffered similar outbreak Bermuda saw a similar surge in COVID cases earlier this year and found itself at the top of the New York Times list in mid-September. The number of active cases in Bermuda, which has a population of 62,000, peaked at 1,612 on 25 Sept. It took five weeks for that number to drop below 100 again. On Sunday 7 Nov., Bermuda reported 59 active cases. Since the beginning of the Cayman the world’s hotspot for COVID infections 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 01 Oct 11 Oct 21 Oct 29 Oct 08 Nov Cayman COVID-19 cases Cayman’s active cases have skyrocketed from 70 on 1 Oct. to 2,185 on 8 Nov. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 8» OctoberNovember 1.76%1.96% 3.26% 7.69% 11.42% 12.07%Average weekly positivity rate of COVID-19 test cayman compass 3 news N news FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 20211234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Untruthful (5) 4 Strict in self-denial (7) 8 Make a request (3) 9 Settle dispute by discussion (4,2,3) 10 Of accepted merit (7) 11 Uninhabited (5) 13 To train (6) 15 Clearly noticeable (6) 18 Room under roof (5) 19 Go towards (4,3) 21 Profitable (9) 23 To arrest (3) 24 Coax by flattery (7) 25 Right to ownership (5) DOWN 1 Patron saint of Italy (7) 2 Very quickly (4,1,4) 3 Distinguishing moral nature (5) 4 Recommendation (6) 5 A wild fancy (7) 6 Moreover (3) 7 Slyly spiteful (5) 12 To ridicule (4,3,2) 14 Plantation of fruit trees (7) 16 Hard-wearing (7) 17 Of high quality (6) 18 Bright with colour (5) 20 Proficient (5) 22 Signal to act (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16847 The numbers in the black cells are clues. Numbers above the slash are across clues. Number below the slash are down clues. The goal is to enter digits 1 - 9 in the white cells to add up to the number clues. You cannot enter any digit more than once when adding up to clue. TODAY'S SOLUTIONS Puzzle 16847 ACROSS: 1 False, 4 Ascetic, 8 Ask, 9 Have it out, 10 Classic, 11 Empty, 13 School, 15 Marked, 18 Attic, 19 Head for, 21 Lucrative, 23 Nab, 24 Wheedle, 25 Title. DOWN: 1 Francis, 2 Like a shot, 3 Ethos, 4 Advice, 5 Chimera, 6 Too, 7 Catty, 12 Poke fun at, 14 Orchard, 16 Durable, 17 Choice, 18 Aglow, 20 Adept, 22 Cue. I should give credit where credit is due. I wrote earlier to the Compass about the frustration with the Health Services Authority portal. We went down to the hospital [on Friday, 5 Nov.] and asked to see someone from the HSA who could help us straighten out our problem setting up a portal account. A woman named Tamara came out, listened, and [performed] whatever ‘magic’ she had, and sent us an email which had a link that enabled us to overcome the problem and finish our accounts. The link worked and [our vaccinations] are now ‘verifiable’. Thanks, Tamara! Cindy Smith The psychological impact on children subjected to a daily lateral flow test requires no clinical determination. Similarly, the effects on parents tasked to administer these tests should be obvious. The journey that began with ‘lockdown’ in March 2020, to mask mandates and eventually vaccination drives received almost universal compliance. The stipulation to test children represents a proverbial line in the sand and the direct opposite response to previous mandates. Whether it is to coax a reluctant child, the use of physical restraint or even to deceive them as they sleep, this assignment feels different. The message we send to our children when we pin them down against their will and insert a foreign object amidst passionate protest to satisfy ourselves is self-evident. This vividly graphic reference is the harsh reality of the unenviable assignment so many parents dread. The anxiety, confusion and profound frustration have ascended to heights not previously encountered. School attendance is sporadic and disruptive. Minimum- wage workers are saddled with the expense of exorbitant and inflated Readers weigh in on COVID spike, border reopening and CDC advisory The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warnings won’t deter as many potential travellers as cumbersome travel requirements will. Airlines know this and that’s why we’re not seeing flights scheduled yet. Several airlines show nothing until Feb./March 2022. – Leila Chisholm Grassman There was always going to be significant high curve community spread at some point; the Cayman Islands just delayed it an unnecessarily long period of time. – Mark Cotton We have our tickets bought for February. Plan to stay a month but if these numbers don’t quiet down we will have to delay our visit. Most health care insurance doesn’t cover COVID, so catching it in Cayman is going to be very expensive. – Stephen Williams Many tourists don’t care about COVID anymore. They will still come. Worry not. We aren’t asking for the droves we got before COVID – six and seven ships in the port. We just need one a day. That’s all we are asking for. – Jasmin Sumaroo 90% of the tourists are Americans. Yes, they will listen to the CDC over you. It will have a negative effect. It already has. I own multiple vacation rentals on island. People are still cancelling. – Jan Morgan Lockdown ASAP! For teachers, it’s really exhausting teaching with a mask on! – Simon Allnutt Stop building hotels and start building hospitals because the ones we have are not enough. – Jhon Smith It’s going to have to happen. Thankfully, you are opening the borders with a very high population vaccine rate. Well done, Cayman. – Kelly Irmen Hamilton Don’t you just love all these comments saying keep the borders closed, etc. from people who don’t even live in Cayman? People that have no idea how many people and businesses have been affected financially and mentally, by having the borders closed for the last two years. And for what? So we could have community spread infections running rampant anyways? – Filip Galbavy HSA resolved portal issue Stop forcing lateral flow tests on children What they’re saying Online Letters to the editor test kits, the price of which exceeds their hourly wage. The inescapable consequence is that such persons are asked to sacrifice at least one hour of their wages to justify their existence on the job. There can be no confusion that we are unified in our dream for the disappearance of COVID-19. Sadly, at each juncture, we are continually reminded that this remains merely a dream. Perhaps it is time to abandon irrational experimental measures driven by fear, awake from our slumber and face the harsh reality before this dream quickly escalates into a nightmare that consumes us while we sleep. Richard Barton Since the confirmation of community transmission in September, have you been tested for COVID-19? cayman compass Yes, I have had a PCR test Yes, I have had a lateral flow test No, I have not been tested ONLINE POLL 41% 444 15% 161 44% 469 cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2021The new rules of travel: How the border reopening will work Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky The Cayman Islands government has set 20 Nov. as the date when quarantine requirements will be relaxed for vaccinated travellers. The date is seen as the watershed moment when tourists can begin to return to the islands. But who can actually come and under what conditions? While some of the rules and guidelines around the reopening remain to be revealed, some of the key questions have been answered. Here we try to outline what we know and what we don’t about the new rules of travel. What changes on 20 Nov.? Cayman plans to move to level 4 of its border-reopening plan on Saturday, 20 Nov. The most signifi cant change will be the removal of the quarantine requirement for the majority of vaccinated travellers. Which vaccinated travellers will be accepted? Travellers with securely verifi able vaccines – that carry a unique QR code from a health service provider – will not have to quarantine. Those with vaccine credentials that are not securely verifi ed will also be accepted – provided they are travelling from a country where the fi rst-dose vaccination rate is 60% or higher. That includes countries like Canada and the US but not Jamaica or Barbados, which fall below that threshold. Cards from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be accepted. Which vaccines are accepted? The Pfi zer-BioNTech vaccine administered in Cayman is not the only vaccine accepted. The Moderna, Johnson and Johnson, and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines are all accepted, as well as the Chinese Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines used across Asia, and India’s Covishield. What are the testing requirements? The current requirement for a PCR test within 72 hours of travel remains in place. There will also be lateral fl ow screening tests on day two, fi ve and 10 after travel. For a tourist on a two-week trip, that would mean four tests (one pre-depature PCR and three lateral fl ows on island) in total, though they would also likely be required to take a test within 72 hours of departure, to return to their home country. It is not clear if the lateral fl ow tests will be monitored, or if Public Health will rely on self-reporting of positive results. What happens if a tourist tests positive? The protocols for a positive case have not been spelled out but it is certain that any tourist testing positive will be required to quarantine and, if necessary, to extend their stay until they clear a negative test. Many hotels plan to set aside rooms for this purpose and government’s isolation facilities will remain open. The implications for family members of positive COVID cases is not yet clear. It is also not clear what level of contact tracing would take place among other guests and staff at a hotel, for example. Who pays for quarantine? Again this remains to be explained, but the cost is almost certain to be carried by the visitors themselves or, most likely, their insurer. Other jurisdictions, like Turks and Caicos, that have opened to tourism, mandate that all visitors carry COVID insurance that covers medical costs and full hospitalisation, doctors’ visits, prescriptions, air ambulance and quarantine. Will unvaccinated children be required to quarantine? There is no exemption to the quarantine requirement for children at this stage, though Premier Wayne Panton has indicated that Cayman could review the decision before the end of the year. The FDA did recently give emergency approval for a lower dose vaccine for children over the age of 5 which could make some family travel possible in the near future. What is the protocol for unvaccinated travellers? Regular tourists, with no connection to Cayman, still cannot travel without being vaccinated. Returning residents, permit holders and visitors with connections to Cayman can travel but must quarantine for 14 days if they have not had the jab. Travel parties with unvaccinated children must also quarantine for the full two weeks. Travellers whose vaccine is not securely verifi able and come from a country that has lower than 60% fi rst-dose vaccination rate must quarantine for 10 days. Is there a limit to the amount of tourists allowed in the country at this stage? There has been no talk of any direct limit but the lack of airlift is likely to restrict the amount of visitors that can fl y in at any one time. Only a handful of airlines – Cayman Airways, British Airways, JetBlue, Air Canada and WestJet – have scheduled fl ights into the islands which will inhibit numbers in the initial months. It is also possible that Cayman’s current high COVID case load and the CDC warning against travel to the territory will limit demand. Are there restrictions on aircraft? Right now, Cayman is in the position of trying to attract airlines to come back to the islands. As things return to normalcy, there is potential for the opposite problem to emerge, with too many planes needing to land at one time and social distancing becoming unmanageable at the airport. In 2018, the Compass reported that 53 planes arrived on a single Saturday – many of them within a three-hour ‘peak’ period – leading to a packed airport with long lines that spilled out onto the tarmac. That is obviously not feasible in a COVID-sensitive environment. The Cayman Islands Airports Authority has recently announced a partnership with international fi rm Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) to help manage slot allocation for arriving aircraft. cayman compass news N news FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2021 5High number of breast cancer diagnoses for women under 40 RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Even with a formal cancer registry on island, the true picture of the illness in the Cayman community still remains largely unknown, but emerging trends from available statistics indicate more women under the age of 40 are getting diagnosed with breast cancer. “14% of the breast cancer cases that we have were diagnosed are in people under age 40 and if we look at Cleveland Clinic and Breastcancer.org websites, they will tell us that anywhere between 5% to 7% of women are diagnosed under age 40. So the fact that 14% of our registrants were diagnosed under age 40 is a little surprising,” cancer registrar Amanda Nicholson said in a recent interview with the Cayman Compass. However, both Nicholson and Dr. Lundie Richards, consultant medical haematologist-oncologist at the Health Services Authority, say that, without mandatory registration, it will be hard to quantify that and other trends, and even more difficult to determine the actual cancer numbers in Cayman. “There is no legislation or regulation which provides for obligatory reporting into the cancer registry. I know that Amanda and company [for years]... have been trying to put draft documents to make recommendations because that’s the only way, if there’s mandatory reporting of these conditions. In other places, there are mandatory reporting conditions,” Richards said. Nicholson said there are currently 220 cases of breast cancer registered in Cayman. Reporting key to identifying trends Richards said the issue is that patients who come to the HSA are advised to report their diagnosis to the registrar, but there are others who seek treatment, either privately or overseas, and therefore are not captured by the registry. In addition, he said, there may be some patients who opt out of pursuing medical checks because they do not want to hear the ‘C word’ - cancer. Richards added that there is a “small handful” of patients who are told by their physician that they may have cancer, but decide to ignore that “presumptive notice” in the hopes the issue will go away. “[N]ot all who are diagnosed... ever get to us here at HSA or even go to see a specialist in the particular area,” he said. At the registry, Nicholson said they have seen about the same number of breast cancer cases as they usually do. At present there are around 250 cases of breast cancer registered. The most common breast cancer in Cayman, she said, is infiltrating ductal carcinoma, “which isn’t surprising because it’s the most commonly diagnosed worldwide”. Presently, breast cancer is the most common cancer found in the registry, she said, representing about 36% of all reported cases. “It is important to note that 67% of registrants are female,” she added. “This may account for the large number of cases of breast cancer.” There are close to 600 people registered with the cancer registry. Nicholson said it is difficult to pinpoint why Cayman’s under-40 diagnoses are higher than those at Cleveland Clinic and Breastcancer.org. “It could be that we are seeing people diagnosed at an earlier age. It could be that women within the community choose to go and get screened earlier, which would be a good thing. It’s hard to say really what the cause of that might be, but it’s definitely worth taking note of,” she said. The recommended age for breast cancer screening is 40, but Nicholson said, “it’s important for any woman who notices a change in her body or who has a family history of breast cancer to make sure that they start their screenings early”. Breast cancer remains leading cancer For his part, Richards said, at his unit in the Cayman Islands Hospital, he has not noted any increase or decrease in new cancer cases. “There’s a steady flow of patients. I’ve not seen any particular condition that begins to go out of what I’ve been looking at over the past few years. For example, approximately half the patients that come to this unit on a monthly or annual basis actually come because of breast cancer, [but that] doesn’t mean that we’re having more and more breast cancer being diagnosed,” he said. “The others, in terms of general frequency, include colon cancer, multiple myeloma and, of course, especially in men, you have a competition between prostate and lung cancer,” he added. Richards said he can expect one to “maybe three” new cases a month. However, he said, there have been months where no cases came to the unit; the caveat to that, he added, was that did not necessarily mean no new cases were diagnosed as they could have been detected either privately or overseas. The great thing about the Cayman Islands is that “we can’t complain about not having access... Access to diagnostics, as well as access to general treatment and almost any treatment that the patient requires they can get it here,” he said, Cayman’s true cancer picture unknown of all reported cases of cancer are breast cancer 67% of registrants are female. Approximately 36% adding he has not seen an adverse impact on local cancer care due to COVID-19. “Cayman is close... either above or just below, in terms of healthcare [compared] to Cuba. There’s no other place in the region that has that kind of access, both to clinicians and to the types of therapeutic agents that they need, and certainly better than a lot of places in the US,” he said. Almost half of consultations locally are for breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and multiple myeloma, which is a haematological malignancy. Both Nicholson and Richards reiterated the need for registering cancers here, which not only helps determine trends but also inform policy. “When we have a foundation of information and we can understand what kinds of cancer are most common, how many people are getting cancer, whether there are certain geographical regions that are seeing higher incidents, it makes it much easier for medical professionals and researchers to do more in terms of cancer prevention and management,” Nicholson said. | Registration on the cancer registry is free and confidential, and Nicholson can be reached at 244-2560 or amanda.nicholson@hsa.ky. Cancer registrar Amanda Nicholson. - Photo: Reshma Ragoonath Dr. Lundie Richards, HSA consultant medical haematologist-oncologist. - Photo: Supplied Breast cancer diagnosis by age 14% under 40 37% 40-49 22% 50-59 18% 60-69 9% 70 and over Source: Cancer registry WATCH THE VIDEO ONLINE CAYMANCOMPASS.COM cayman compass 6 news N news FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2021 @FOSTERSCAYMAN FOSTERS.KY/FOSTERS-CARD SCAN TO ORDER ONLINE FOSTER'S CARD THE PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT! cayman compass 7 FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2021Do you know how well your pension plan performed? For the year ended 30 June 2021, the various lifecycle funds have provided returns between 8.56% and 36.86%. The Chamber Pension Plan continues to monitor and evaluate the performance of our investment fund managers for the overall benefit of its membership. Remember that pensions are a longer-term investment strategy, focus on the long term rather than the short-term returns. The Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce Pension Plan continues to perform for you. PERFORMANCE SUMMARY AS OF 30 JUNE 2021 (NET OF ALL FEES) Income Conservative Fund Income Growth Fund 2030 Fund 2040 Fund 2050 Fund 2060 Fund N/A Born in 1959 or earlier Born in the 1960s Born in the 1970s Born in the 1980s Born in the 1990s 8.56% 12.14% 19.91% 28.40% 34.55% 36.86% 7.16% 8.32% 10.23% 12.31% 13.81% 14.14% -- 6.29% 8.80% 10.97% 12.39% 13.15% Lifecycle FundsAge Group ANNUALIZED 1 YR3 YR5 YR chamberpension.ky year, Bermuda suffered two larger outbreaks of COVID-19. More than 300 people were hospitalised as a result and 96 people died, 71 of those in the past two months. Six people remain in hospital. Figures for Bermuda highlight both the importance of COVID-19 vaccination and the vulnerability of older age groups as well as people with underlying health conditions and those who are immunocompromised. The average age of those who died following a COVID-19 infection in Bermuda was 72. More than 40% were 80 or older. The number of unvaccinated in Bermuda, who were hospitalised this year for COVID-19, was more than eight times higher than for vaccinated patients. The number of deaths among the unvaccinated was five-and-a-half times higher. According to Bermuda’s Chief Medical Officer Ayoola Oyinloye, breakthrough infections among the vaccinated that resulted in death affected older people with severe underlying health conditions. Bermuda has a vaccination rate of 69% but it was still lower two months ago. Data reported by the Health Services Authority for the first week of November indicates that although there are four times more people who are vaccinated than unvaccinated in Cayman, 70% of new positive tests are among the unvaccinated. 87% of hospitalised patients unvaccinated So far the number of hospitalisations is relatively low. There are 14 COVID-19 patients hospitalised in the Cayman Islands. 87% of patients are unvaccinated. Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee indicated two weeks ago that some of these cases would not be in hospital in other countries but “out of an abundance of caution” had been admitted for observation. While the situation in Cayman is not comparable to Bermuda, it can be expected that hospitalisations are going to rise, given the high and growing total of active cases. There is also a delay of between three and 10 days between the onset of COVID-19 symptoms and hospitalisations. This means that a rise in cases typically precedes an increase in hospitalisations by several days. Adjusted for population size, the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital is already slightly higher than in the UK and the US. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 The average age of those who died following a COVID-19 infection in Bermuda was 72. More than 40% were 80 or older. In mid-September, Bermuda topped the New York Times list for daily average COVID cases. Figures from the Overseas Territory’s Ministry of Health show the importance of vaccination on outcomes for positive cases. cayman compass 8 news N news FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2021®Registered trademark The Bank of Nova Scotia. We are going Cashless! IMPORTANT UPDATE On December 1, 2021, our South Sound Branch will be converted into a cashless branch. This means that all cash transactions will be serviced at our Intelligent Deposit Machines (IDMs). These include: • Deposits of Cash or Cheques • Withdrawals of Cash up to $5,000 KYD • Withdrawal of US Dollars from local or US currency accounts (At dual currency IDMs) • Transfers of Funds Between Accounts (including KYD to USD and USD to KYD) • Account Balance Inquiries • Loan Payments • Credit Card Payments • Mobile Phone Top Up • Bill Payments • Debit or Credit Card Activation (also available via our 24/7 Contact Centre) Our branch staff will be happy to provide personalized assistance with: • New Account Opening • Applications for Mortgages, Loans and Credit Cards • Financial Planning • Investment Services • Insurance Services • Wire Transfers and Bank Draft Requests • Customer Service Matters that cannot be handled via our 24 Hour Contact Center Business Customers Business customers will continue to use the Depository Drop Box for deposit services. If you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call at our new 24/7 Contact Centre by dialling 345-949-7666 or email us at customercarecayman@scotiabank.com or customercare.ss@scotiabank.com and we will be happy to assist. IDM cayman compass 9 FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2021Next >