The Tribune

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

CONSULTANT physicians are happy that fully vaccinated travellers now need to present negative tests to enter the country, but they remain concerned that public health facilities remain understaffed.

According to Consultant Physicians Staff Association President Dr Sabriquet Pinder-Butler this is compounded by suspicions that the Delta variant of the virus is present in newly infected individuals.

On Monday, a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister laid out new travel requirements for people entering The Bahamas.

Effective Friday, August 6, all fully vaccinated travellers wishing to enter The Bahamas will now be required to obtain a COVID-19 test Rapid Antigen Test or PCR, with a negative result, within five days of arrival in The Bahamas

The statement also said there are no changes to the testing requirements for unvaccinated persons wishing to enter The Bahamas.

All persons, who are 12 years and older and who are unvaccinated, will still be required to obtain a PCR test taken within five days of arrival in The Bahamas.

Additionally, all children, between the ages of 2 and 11, wishing to enter The Bahamas will now be required to obtain a negative COVID-19 test - Rapid Antigen Test or PCR, with a negative result, within five days of arrival in The Bahamas.

All travellers, entering The Bahamas on a cruise ship, will be subjected to the testing requirements mandated by the cruise line and approved by the Competent Authority.”

Dr Pinder-Butler expressed satisfaction with the new measures, which she said her team had been recommending for some time.

“Certainly the CPSA has been making recommendations related to travel from last year,” she noted. “We had always maintained the recommendation that testing should be done for all persons travelling in and out of the country. Whether its residents and/or guests alike and whether persons are vaccinated or not.

“We reiterated the call when we knew that the testing arrangements were being modified and that it did not include persons that were vaccinated. So, we are pleased to see that that policy has been adjusted, especially during this time when we continue to see an increase in the COVID cases in the country.

‘We continue to have additional travellers coming to our shores and Bahamians travelling as well and we know that there have been variants in COVID. Our numbers have also increased in the country so I think that this is certainly something that we needed to do to get a better handle on what we are seeing with cases.”

The public health system remains in distress with a shortage of staff and beds due to the spike in COVID-19 cases along with patients who have other needs.

During this new wave of the virus, the transmissible rate seems very high and mortality very quick.

With that in mind, The Tribune asked Dr Pinder-Butler if she believed the deadly Delta variant was present in The Bahamas. The same question was fielded by The Tribune in a Pan American Health Organisation weekly webinar last week, and an official said the only strain of the virus officially present was the “Alpha” variant.

Tests on variations of the COVID-19 virus sent away to labs for further studies, seem to take a very long time to reveal results.

Answering the question Dr. Pinder-Butler said: “I will say that certainly when we see what’s happening in other countries around the globe, I think that most of them noted that there has been Delta. We have certainly seen that perhaps the profile of patients who are presenting, we’ve seen that the transmission rates has increased significantly. Those things are in keeping with what has been shown to be aligned with the Delta variant, perhaps.

“So, anecdotally even though we await for formal confirmation, I think that we can very likely say that perhaps we have Delta knowing that we have travelled so it was one of those things that was inevitable.”

During his national address last week, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis promised the country’s doctors that he was adding 49 new physicians to public health to alleviate its staffing issues. It was believed the 49 doctors would start work right away, but the CPSA president said that has not happened.

“We have not gotten those other doctors as yet,” she said. “They have not started. We hoped that they would have fast tracked these doctors, but it would appear that they are going through the same regular HR process. Most people thought it would be immediate.”

Dr Pinder-Butler said health officials must continue to press hard on Bahamians to take personal responsibility for themselves in the fight against COVID-19. She said everyone should continue wearing masks, washing hands, practicing social distancing and start to restrict the attendance of events as they relate to large numbers.

According to Consultant Physicians Staff Association President Dr Sabriquet Pinder-Butler this is compounded by suspicions that the Delta variant of the virus is present in newly infected individuals.

On Monday, a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister laid out new travel requirements for people entering The Bahamas.

Effective Friday, August 6, all fully vaccinated travellers wishing to enter The Bahamas will now be required to obtain a COVID-19 test Rapid Antigen Test or PCR, with a negative result, within five days of arrival in The Bahamas

The statement also said there are no changes to the testing requirements for unvaccinated persons wishing to enter The Bahamas.

All persons, who are 12 years and older and who are unvaccinated, will still be required to obtain a PCR test taken within five days of arrival in The Bahamas.

Additionally, all children, between the ages of 2 and 11, wishing to enter The Bahamas will now be required to obtain a negative COVID-19 test - Rapid Antigen Test or PCR, with a negative result, within five days of arrival in The Bahamas.

All travellers, entering The Bahamas on a cruise ship, will be subjected to the testing requirements mandated by the cruise line and approved by the Competent Authority.”

Dr Pinder-Butler expressed satisfaction with the new measures, which she said her team had been recommending for some time.

“Certainly the CPSA has been making recommendations related to travel from last year,” she noted. “We had always maintained the recommendation that testing should be done for all persons travelling in and out of the country. Whether its residents and/or guests alike and whether persons are vaccinated or not.

“We reiterated the call when we knew that the testing arrangements were being modified and that it did not include persons that were vaccinated. So, we are pleased to see that that policy has been adjusted, especially during this time when we continue to see an increase in the COVID cases in the country.

‘We continue to have additional travellers coming to our shores and Bahamians travelling as well and we know that there have been variants in COVID. Our numbers have also increased in the country so I think that this is certainly something that we needed to do to get a better handle on what we are seeing with cases.”

The public health system remains in distress with a shortage of staff and beds due to the spike in COVID-19 cases along with patients who have other needs.

During this new wave of the virus, the transmissible rate seems very high and mortality very quick.

With that in mind, The Tribune asked Dr Pinder-Butler if she believed the deadly Delta variant was present in The Bahamas. The same question was fielded by The Tribune in a Pan American Health Organisation weekly webinar last week, and an official said the only strain of the virus officially present was the “Alpha” variant.

Tests on variations of the COVID-19 virus sent away to labs for further studies, seem to take a very long time to reveal results.

Answering the question Dr. Pinder-Butler said: “I will say that certainly when we see what’s happening in other countries around the globe, I think that most of them noted that there has been Delta. We have certainly seen that perhaps the profile of patients who are presenting, we’ve seen that the transmission rates has increased significantly. Those things are in keeping with what has been shown to be aligned with the Delta variant, perhaps.

“So, anecdotally even though we await for formal confirmation, I think that we can very likely say that perhaps we have Delta knowing that we have travelled so it was one of those things that was inevitable.”

During his national address last week, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis promised the country’s doctors that he was adding 49 new physicians to public health to alleviate its staffing issues. It was believed the 49 doctors would start work right away, but the CPSA president said that has not happened.

“We have not gotten those other doctors as yet,” she said. “They have not started. We hoped that they would have fast tracked these doctors, but it would appear that they are going through the same regular HR process. Most people thought it would be immediate.”

Dr Pinder-Butler said health officials must continue to press hard on Bahamians to take personal responsibility for themselves in the fight against COVID-19. She said everyone should continue wearing masks, washing hands, practicing social distancing and start to restrict the attendance of events as they relate to large numbers.