By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Tribune Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
AS COVID-19 case numbers continue to trend downward, a local senior physician has said it may be time for officials at the Ministry of Health to begin discussions about easing restrictions.
On Sunday, there were 29 new cases of the coronavirus reported in the country. Twenty-six of these cases were in New Providence, one was in Grand Bahama and two were in Eleuthera.
There were also 13 new cases recorded on Saturday: four in the capital, seven in Grand Bahama and two in Eleuthera.
Consultant Physicians Staff Association president Dr Sabriquet Pinder-Butler told The Tribune yesterday that while it may be time to begin weighing the options, there must also be balance to ensure the decision to ease any of the restrictions does not come prematurely.
“Certainly in the past, because you know we’ve been through highs and lows of COVID for two years or so now and we’ve always supported that when we’re not at peak and when we’re not having overwhelming surges that certainly we would support engagement at the level of ministry and at the level of grouping that has been providing guidance to look at whether or not it’s okay for us to try to relax some of the measures that are in place,” said Dr Pinder-Butler.
“However, we do appreciate that sometimes we have to wait to make sure that we’re not jumping the gun with certain things.
“And so, I think that even at this state we’re now starting to truly see a bit more consistency with the decline; it may be the same for those types of thought processes to begin.
“Certainly, we know that sometimes we see things and then it’s not sustainable and so you don’t necessarily want to rush in moving those measures because sometimes when that happens it can cause the reverse that we’ve been working towards and so I think perhaps now may be the time for those thought processes to be revisited from that level.”
This comes as Minister of Education Glenys Hanna Martin told a local daily there are plans to begin the rollout of full face-to-face learning in schools this week.
Currently, most public schools are operating under a hybrid model with some virtual learning and some face-to-face instruction.
Ms Pinder-Butler said the education of the nation’s children is most critical and the CPSA supported the hybrid model of instruction.
“I think we have seen in a lot of other countries where children have returned to school safely. I think we always have to be mindful, from what we have been seeing with the pandemic, we have to make adjustments as the need arises,” she said.
She added that health protocols must be enforced in schools to mitigate any spread of the disease on campuses.
“I think this is perhaps a step in the right direction, we’re hopeful that all parties involved would have properly engaged, communication would have been had with the relevant unions, stakeholders so they can all work together to make this work the best for our children,” she also said.
Despite the country moving in the right direction in its fight against COVID-10, Dr Pinder-Butler said resources continue to be strained.
“Unfortunately, we’ve had challenges with resources prior to COVID, during COVID and now those challenges still remain.
“This is one of the sad realities for those that are in healthcare because despite us having less concern as it relates to our COVID patients we know that there are challenges with space. We still have challenges with supplies, with manpower and with so many other things.
“We know that there are budget restrictions that have still not been replaced and deficits and all those sorts of things that have not been addressed.
“Perhaps there may have been challenges with addressing them because they were also dealing with COVID and other economic challenges facing the country,” she said.
“So, right now we are dealing with these things and also now being burdened with the persons that were perhaps not able to receive the care that they needed because of COVID now presenting in some instances worsened cases of disease and diseases processes, which also require more urgent care and more resources and unfortunately we are still not as equipped as we should be as it relates to manpower and supplies. We’re still having challenges offering certain services in the hospital and in the clinic because we don’t have things that we need.”
Her comments follow former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands’ view that the public healthcare system is far from being “back to normal” despite declining COVID-19 infections.
He too noted on Sunday that resources were strained coupled with a “phenomenal” backlog of cases involving people seeking non-COVID related care. Dr Sands said due to limited resources, some patients with non-COVID related illnesses are forced to wait days in order to be admitted to the hospital.
Comments
whogothere 2 years, 2 months ago
Hush lady...Even CDC pencil pushers at the CDC are pivoting like a clock...they have essentially admitted cloth and surgical masks don't work...only N95s for personal protection - everything they said about masking as source control was BS. The public is calling BS and covidites are blinking. California. New Jersey. They know restrictions are BS everything is BS... The covid fantasy camp is coming to a close... even on CNN of all places...
😷 👎 https://mobile.twitter.com/AC360/stat...">https://mobile.twitter.com/AC360/stat...
Except the mask science hasn't changed, vaccines don't "work" against Omicron..efficacy drops to 37% in weeks...
In other place...
In just the past 10 days
👍 Covid is low risk for Immunocompromised kids: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
🤒 Long COVID in children is rare: https://link.springer.com/article/10....">https://link.springer.com/article/10....
💔 Increased risk of myocarditis after vax: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama...">https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama...
🔒 Lockdowns don't work: https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/iae/fil...">https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/iae/fil...
Time to call it - 'OVER'... oh and a note on vaccines...
If your product: 💉 Has to be heavily incentivized 💉 Needs $billions in marketing 💉 Lasts less than a year 💉 Requires censorship 💉 Relies on mandates 💉 Under-delivers on promises 💉 Can't be held liable
Then maybe people aren’t crazy for not wanting your product....just a thought...
tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago
They medical bureaucrats say and take whatever stance the corrupt politicians they are beholding to tell them to say and take....or else!
carltonr61 2 years, 2 months ago
Just keep pumping the vaccine right? Even as the rest of the world has eased restrictions and no evil became them thrend is popular only in the Bahamas though restrictions fade the evil will befall us. They always have one tune of fear. Lockdowns nor vaccinations worked. Do what now. Some grim data is emerging from Armed Forces Medics in USA among vaccinated soldiers.
TalRussell 2 years, 2 months ago
It is my observant self that it hasn't slid by how this minister of health is being held up as de poster man's for de office of de premier's Big Fella Clinty's...Erecting metal barricades between De Queen's crown ministers and de media.
My God, like how Dr. Duane's shirt was ripped open to be flogged, after it was exposed his chattin' up on de telephone with former crown minister Obadiah, ― Yes ?
carltonr61 2 years, 2 months ago
Why did we jump the gun and mandate Bahamians to be vaccinated when no one on earth knew the safety of phzr. Modern safety record was just removed from FDA but it did allude to causing less harm to the heart of those below 40 especially healthy active men that the most major Vax. Sorry for those officers just entering training as according to historical scientific global data the Vax neither prevents covid but sheds the virus especially in close quarters during training is a most dangerous medical idea.
https://m.theepochtimes.com/fda-docto...">https://m.theepochtimes.com/fda-docto...;
carltonr61 2 years, 2 months ago
Our nurses union under Minnisitis the tyrant were correct on the science that nothing should enter the human body before testing as live human testing in forbidden under Nuremberg code. The Vax were authorized for emergency use only. But now that physicians the world over has learnt how to treat covid and prevent it the Vax should be scrubbed by WHO. Guess thus will take place after phz secret death and harms record are revealed beginning in March 2022. The makers are allowed time to black out what it terms the public should not know.
carltonr61 2 years, 2 months ago
Is this greenmail to end the pandemic. Seems the news scientists that pushed the untested Vax has stopped mentioning that Cruiseship test tube of only vaccinated persons ended in complete failure for close quarters living for the fully vaccinated. Something spreader of covids new variants since Vax began. WHO demanding something to stop pandemic but it is no longer herd immunity, vaxing, masks, restrictions or lockdowns.
carltonr61 2 years, 2 months ago
The World Health Organization (WHO) has appealed to the leaders of the world’s richest countries, asking them to pay their fair share of the funding needed for the agency’s program to end the global Covid-19 pandemic as soon as possible.
The body announced on Wednesday that it needed more than $16 billion to bridge the funding gap for its ACT-Accelerator program, and said it could end the pandemic as a global emergency in 2022.
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