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UPDATED – COVID-19: Fifth death confirmed, four new cases

SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE: Dr Judson Eneas, 72, died last night in hospital after testing positive for COVID-19, confirmed Health Minister Dr Duane Sands. He is the country's first physician to die from COVID-19 and the fifth victim of the virus. FULL STORY HERE

The Ministry of Health has confirmed the nation’s fourth death from COVID-19.

The latest fatality, Case #23, was an 80-year-old male patient hospitalised in Grand Bahama, previously confirmed to have COVID-19 with no direct links to other cases. Investigations are being conducted.

The Ministry also confirmed on Saturday that there are four additional confirmed cases of COVID-19. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 28. There have been five confirmed cases in Grand Bahama, 22 confirmed cases in New Providence and one confirmed case from the island of Bimini. The newly confirmed cases are as follows:

• Case #25 is a 57-year-old female, a resident of New Providence with no history of travel and a direct link to Case #22. This case is in isolation at home.

• Case #26 is a 77-year-old female, a resident of New Providence with no history of travel and a direct link to Case #22. This case is also in isolation at home.

• Case #27 is a 48-year-old male, a resident of New Providence, with no history of travel and no direct links. This case is hospitalised and very ill;

• Case #28 is a 51-year-old female, a resident of New Providence, with no history of travel and no direct links. This patient is hospitalised and remains in stable condition. 

Health officials continue to follow the condition of the other 20 COVID-19 positive cases.

Members of the public are again reminded to follow the Emergency Powers (COVID-19) Order announced by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to reduce the spread of the virus, including physical distancing. 

Comments

DDK 4 years, 8 months ago

For some reason, these reports sound almost gleeful, as if the higher the count of the loss of a family's loved one, the more excitement is generated.

stillwaters 4 years, 8 months ago

What?????How????I really am puzzled as to how you reached that conclusion. I think some of you on these blogs are losing it.

bahamianson 4 years, 8 months ago

Cases and deaths are unfortunate,but the next issue will be that the government is hiding the information because they don't want us to know. This is very transparent and detailed. The naysayers can't say that the government is hiding information. You can't eat your cake and have it too.

joeblow 4 years, 8 months ago

So much information is not being given. So many questions to ask.

At what point are these people being tested, when they first develop symptoms or when they are about to breathe their last breath?

How can so many people be positive with no direct links (you can't get the virus from yourself)?

Why are so many positive cases at home, and are there others in those homes?

If the current mortality rate is approximately 14% what does that say about the standard of medical care being given? Are there any other countries in the world with such a high mortality rate?

ThisIsOurs 4 years, 8 months ago

Only 28 are confirmed. The 324 number are not positive cases. It seems if you had a conversation with a positive patient they might tell you to isolate for 14 days to see if you develop symptoms. And if you happen to display symptoms of a "regular" cold during that time, it's unclear whether you would get tested or if they would wait to see if you worsened before testing. Remember Mrs Johnson from Bimini wasn't tested until after she died.

"If the current mortality rate is approximately 14% what does that say about the standard of medical care being given?"

To my understanding, ventilation is not a common skill. Throwing doctors, nurses and ventilators at people who need to be on a ventilator may not necessarily help. You might actually kill the patient faster. Again..this is my theory, and I apply it worldwide not just here, we are seeing the high number of deaths because while we have alot of doctors and nurses "in the fight", a large number of them do not know how to take care of a patient on a ventilator. An unskilled person could kill a patient unknowingly. Unfortunately I believe some of that is happening. It has to. It's like asking a dentist to do heart surgery. No hospital system anywhere was built to handle so many ICU cases at once.

ConchFretter 4 years, 8 months ago

* If the current mortality rate is approximately 14% what does that say about the standard of medical care being given?

We have 28 confirmed cases so our number of cases is low compared to the US, Italy, etc. They may also only be testing those who are sick to see if they have it or not. If they are only quarantining most exposures, rather than testing them (324 quarantined and NOT tested) then there are many asymptomatic and mild cases that are not being confirmed. So the Covid positive cases are mostly the sick cases to begin with and the percentage of those who die who tested positive will be higher.

Also, despite the initial rumors on social media, we of African descent seem to be more at risk of succumbing to Covid-19, versus being “resistant”. https://www.propublica.org/article/earl….

Nonetheless, all the more reason to abide by the curfew. My thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of the deceased.*

joeblow 4 years, 8 months ago

... the point I was making is that our mortality rate is disproportionately high compared to other Caribbean countries and the question is why!.

Compare Martinique with 149 confirmed cases and 4 deaths or Barbados with 56 confirmed cases and 1 death for instance!

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

(click right link)

Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 8 months ago

Minnis and D'Aguilar's love affair with the cruise ship industry that got us off to a very late containment start appears to have indeed placed us on the Italian trajectory, or perhaps worse. A death rate of 14.3% plus zero recoveries to date does not bode well for the next several months.

And no sooner will the worst be behind Florida and the Bahamas, then the cruise ship companies will be strong arming Minnis and D'Aguilar to open up our country again to their deadly cruise ship business. Doing so could of course spark a second wave of the Red China Virus in both Florida and the Bahamas, and other places where these huge floating incubators and carriers of deadly pathogens visit. Not good!

TalRussell 4 years, 8 months ago

There's sense government has been playing checkers against widowmaker cornoavirus. In chess, the object is to capture [checkmate] the opposing king. Nod once for yeah, twice for no?

TigerB 4 years, 8 months ago

"In keeping with the constitutional responsibilities of the parliamentary opposition in the affairs of this country, I wish to announce the establishment of the PLP COVID-19 task force with immediate effect,” Davis said.

He added, “The mandate of this task force is to, from time to time, inform our members, supporters and the country on new developments and events both locally and internationally surrounding this global pandemic and its potential impact on The Bahamas; to monitor the performance of the government in the handling of this critical issue; and to assist the government in public health issues for the protection and well-being of the general public.”

Although Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis on Wednesday appointed a National Coordination Committee on COVID-19 (NCCC), Davis said he feels legislation is needed to address this novel coronavirus."

DDK 4 years, 8 months ago

Yeah, still waters, some of us are losing friends and family abroad who were unable to return to their Bahamaland and contracted the virus while caught up in displacement circumstances beyond their control. These lost Bahamian souls do not seem to count as part of the nation's losses... I maintain the tally is presented like an unfeeling scoreboard.

moncurcool 4 years, 8 months ago

So who has been lost abroad? Or is that speculation?

Godson 4 years, 8 months ago

An important and yet crucial fact to note is that if the COVID-19 virus is not already here in Long Island, the only vulnerable means by which it can come into Long Island is through the weekly mail boat services coming in to Long Island from Nassau. The crew members would have interacted with their families and communities in Nassau, albeit, to a limited extent.

I suggested to the Government, the Island's M.P. and the relevant Ministry to arrange to have the crew members of the mail boats tested for the COVID-19 virus before embarking on voyages to the Family Islands, in particular, Long Island.

Whether they would listen and take heed would be a serious matter for them if there is a consequential outbreak. Like the P.M. said, "hard head bird don't make good soup".

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