The Ministry of Health confirmed on Saturday that there are three new cases of COVID-19 in Grand Bahama.
The new cases are:
• A 16-year-old girl with a history a travel.
• A 47-year-old woman with no history of travel
• A 39-year-old woman with a history of travel.
All three are in isolation at home.
The total number of cases now stands at 111 – with 11 of those active.
Health officials are reminding the public to practice the following measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19:
• Wear a face mask when you leave home;
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and if soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 70% alcohol;
• Cover your cough or sneeze in your inner elbow or with a tissue; and
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as phones, remotes controls, counters, doorknobs, and keyboards.
Comments
ISpeakFacts 4 years, 4 months ago
Seven CONFIRMED cases of the deadly Chinese Virus in just 4 days, anyone with a brain saw this scenario miles away! Also where did the infected persons travel from? Was it Florida, or did they travel from our family islands? Too many questions that will never be answered!
We need to close our borders NOW! This Chinese Virus is exposing Minnis for the corrupt incompetent buffoon that many saw him as YEARS AGO! And while we're at it please get rid of our current Ministry of Health and Ministry of Tourism, they have been ABSOLUTELY USELESS during this pandemic, we couldn't even contain the first outbreak during March, how on Earth did these idiots think we could handle a second outbreak of the Chinese Virus with our borders WIDE OPEN for every country to walk in and out of!!!!
Godson 4 years, 4 months ago
You are absolutely right to state: "Seven CONFIRMED cases of the deadly Chinese Virus in just 4 days, anyone with a brain saw this scenario miles away! Also where did the infected persons travel from? Was it Florida, or did they travel from our family islands? Too many questions that will never be answered!"
This 'down-time', as a consequence of the Corona Virus, could have been used for national reforms, education and culturing our people to the inevitable changes they must be prepared to face in the future.
The decision to reopen caters to a further lost of time in an effort to redeem an economy that is past and done.
My2Cents 4 years, 4 months ago
Apart of reopening our borders was the expectation that we may have an increase of cases. This is not surprising. The key is to do what we can to minimize the spread. We CANNOT afford to close unless we want a devalued dollar and junk status credit rating as a result of us becoming a welfare state. This does not in any way warrant closing the borders or tightening restrictions locally! Stop this nonsense about “close our borders”! If you’re terrified of getting the virus, stay your behind home!
thps 4 years, 4 months ago
Problem is that the government had not adequately put out this message before.
Because they've essentially tied 'a good job' with a slowdown in confirmed cases, they haven't stressed that "when we slowly reopen cases may come, don't be alarmed, we need to manage hospitalizations, the elderly etc".
So now we meet fork in the road.
Press on with the reopening and quit bragging about the current confirmed case count and no new cases in X weeks, tell people that we will get new cases and we need to do XYZ to manage
OR
Try to minimize your numbers, go back to knockdowns, or close the borders, etc.
Lets see what we do from here.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 4 months ago
"slowly" reopen? There was no plan for a slow reopening. The hotels and cruise lines backed out. Everything was supposed to be open July 1
thps 4 years, 4 months ago
Pace aside, they should have laid out back then what a reopened Bahamas would like since COVID isn't going anywhere. The image was that COVID would be wiped out once we lockdown. The problem is that doesn't explain what happens when cases come when we reopen.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 4 months ago
Well if that's what they thought they were the only 3 people who did. I repeated over and over again, and I heard others repeat as well, "lockdowns only buy you time to do something". They forgot the do something part.
My2Cents 4 years, 4 months ago
Agreed. Sure they did a hood job keeping confirmed cases and hospitalizations low, but it’s completely unacceptable that after 4 months, we don’t have a robust testing system is place and increased capacity for hospitalizations if we have a major outbreak!
How is it that Doctors Hospital already procured equipment that allows them to test up to 12K a month? Why couldn’t the govt do the same so that we can remain open, while performing rapid testing and contact tracing? Or even seize it under the emergency powers and pay them the value to acquire more? It’s BEYOND ridiculous in my opinion. A comprehensive reopening plan that left out the basics. Smt
Godson 4 years, 4 months ago
You, like the rest of them, value money too much. This, however, is a consequence of the lack of insight and foresight as to what to do in such a crisis.
ISpeakFacts 4 years, 4 months ago
We have ZERO chance at containing the spread, Bahamians are just too damn stubborn and stupid to follow rules, have you seen the amount of viral videos of bahamians parting with ZERO social distancing and mask wearing? Minnis wants to shut down beaches and parks but the bars and other party places are still up and running, Minnis needs to resign ASAP and get checked into the nearest facility for the mentally ill!!!!
thps 4 years, 4 months ago
Interesting point. I can somewhat see the beach closure but it is strange that if beaches are a risk and required closing then all gatherings not involving immediate family should have been as well.
it seems to me that we have adopted policies that punish certain industries. though the risk seems comparable to others. Alcohol sales, number shops, Arawak Cay, and now beaches. While these industries remained closed, similar industries (fatty food/cigarette sales, other non-essential establishments, other restaurants all over Nassau, all other places where gathering can happen) were allowed to be open.
Actually it raises another ironic thing, exercise was limited while ordering McDonalds was basically unrestricted.
Godson 4 years, 4 months ago
You, like the rest of them, value money too much. This is a consequence of lack of insight and foresight.
Godson 4 years, 4 months ago
You, like the rest of them, value money too much. This, however, is a consequence of the lack of insight and foresight as to what to do in such a crisis.
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 4 months ago
What makes you think we'll see any benefit from opening our borders? We haven't yet. Nobody with a brain is interested in travelling during a pandemic. So if no economical benefit why open our borders?
thps 4 years, 4 months ago
So you raise a point. Does the govt have a cost-benefit analysis somewhere?
it would be good is they produced their analysis that says. This is the cost, risk, and economic benefit of opening the borders in September. This is the cost/risk and benefit of opening the borders now.
We, therefore, say that opening now is worth the X dollars vs. the risk.
Do they have such a thing handy?
They must have had an idea of how many guests we were going to get based on bookings and have a cost of shutting down things again.
IIn the absence of seeing something handy I'll do my own and would love to be corrected if my #s are wrong. I've heard we welcomed 2k tourists since the opening. in the year 2000, according to TourismToday the average stopover spend was 1000 per pax.
So let's project this over the month of July, assume maybe it picks up, do we estimate 5k? tourists.
5000 persons at 1500 p/p (adjusting up for inflation). That's about 7.5m dollars. Lets say its 10k tourists spending 2k p/p that's $20m.
On the risk side, the worst case is a spread causing a lockdown. What is the economic cost of that? then what is the likely scenario? Increased cases but a tempered lockdown? If so what is the cost of that?
I would love to see a breakdown (If they took the time to do this).
joeblow 4 years, 4 months ago
For months now I have been advocating for antibody testing. This is the only thing other countries are doing that we have not copied! People who test positive for antibodies to coronavirus may have already had it without symptoms and are unlikely to be reinfected if exposed to it again Remember, over 12 million people have had this disease and I am not aware of any confirmed cases where someone has had it twice!
Those who test antibody positive should have been the first group of people allowed to return to work. (customs and immigration workers, baggage handlers, taxi drivers, front desk clerks etc.)
Tourists should be in specific areas to minimize their ability to increase community spread. They should be able to rent a jet ski or go on the beach with proper precautions. There should be no indoor dining only spaced outdoor dining.
We should increase boating visits and docking and mooring fees.
Bahamians should be banned from traveling overseas.
The country does not have to be shut down completely, but specific steps must be taken to protect those who are vulnerable. How can we know who they are if we do no antibody testing?
thps 4 years, 4 months ago
Drs. Dahl-Regis and Minnis have rejected the idea of mass testing for COVID, so I don't see mass antibody testing anytime soon. Unless they reverse the policy.
I do think there was a claim of a Japanese person having it twice early (though that the time testing so sure). wired.com/story/did-a-woman-get-coronav…
ISpeakFacts 4 years, 4 months ago
Both are IDIOTS, who in their right mind would be against mass testing, Minnis and Dahl-Regis both need to be sent to Sandilands ASAP!!
joeblow 4 years, 4 months ago
@thps... dead virus can cause a false positive test.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles…
thps 4 years, 4 months ago
Good reading.
ISpeakFacts 4 years, 4 months ago
Sadly this virus has been here since December thanks to the amount of Chinese who now flock in this country! Accurate antibody tests will never happen sadly... if we can't even test for the virus, how will we be able to test who previously had it?
I know this corrupt country very well so I can assure to you @joeblow, that we will soon have very cheap "Made in China" antibody tests available at Doctor's Hospital costing you and your family 300$ per test!!!
WE MUST CLOSE OUR BORDERS NOW AND MINNIS ALONG WITH THE CURRENT MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND TOURISM SHOULD ALL RESIGN IMMEDIATELY!!!
RealTalk 4 years, 4 months ago
If 6 is in Grand Bahama, imagine Nassau...
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 4 months ago
They had an "emergency" meeting in grand Bahamas today. You can't make this stuff up. Why is there an emergency meeting? Are Kwasi Thompson DAguilar and Dr Minnis the only people in the country who didn't know that once the borders were opened we'd have positive cases? The plan for what to do when we hit 1, 5, 20, 50 cases should have been published 4 weeks ago. Here we go again. Now they're gonna employ all kinds of draconian tactics, they're gonna start blaming us for behaving badly.."look at all dem parties, no more parties!!! look at all dese cars on the road!!! why y'all out y'all house??!!! why y'all in dat car with windows screw up without masks on??!! where your hand sanitizer???!!", all this for a situation where they had more than enough time for a controlled implementation. I almost hate to point it out cuz then they'll act like they thought of it. Have they mapped the current cases against past incidents in terms of location, timing, exposure, to get a trajectory on likely spread? Since they completed contact tracing they have more than enough data..If they know what to do with it.
TalRussell 4 years, 4 months ago
Screw Mr.Minnis, Dionisao James, and Carl Wilshire to make it a requirement for all visitors not to leave home without proof of COVID-19 travel insurance which has now become impossible to buy - something all visitors to Bermuda must provide online advance travel proof of!
It's not outside the realm implications for infections to go from 100 new COVID-19 testing positives to thirty-eight percent of The Colony's PopoulacesOrdinary and Visitors, becoming infected within one hundred and eighty days. Nod Once for Yeah, Twice for No?
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 4 months ago
This is insane. Time for minnis to go.
CLOSE OUR BORDERS NOW!!!
moncurcool 4 years, 4 months ago
A history of travel?
So these people were traveling in and out the country? Or all around the island?
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 4 months ago
There are only two ways to manage this crisis. Lockdown or test and trace. We can only do one since we have nowhere near the tests we need.
I wonder if anyone in our government has looked into buying tests from places like New Zealand or South Korea? They have successfully managed this virus with testing. So have we tried? Or are we using the idiot American president's strategy of let em die?
thps 4 years, 4 months ago
They've said no to mass testing and said they'll rely on contact tracing with targeted testing.
They spoke to Cayman said the cost was too expensive and said no.
They got 10k donated and guess they'll use their current approach and burn through the 10k as time passes.
Unless they change policy it looks heavy on the contract tracing, light on the mass testing.
thenassauguardian.com/2020/04/01/no-bla… thenassauguardian.com/2020/05/29/minnis… tribune242.com/news/2020/jul/02/were-ca…
TalRussell 4 years, 4 months ago
Without signaling out any particular 35 House elected MP's, is The Colony's elected government to protects workers who refuse to return to work on the grounds it's too dangerous a health risk to themselves and family members under the surging COVID-19 conditions?
In the meantime stay safer by staying home as much as possible,always wear your face coverings when out mixing with the public, stay far away from people gatherings, wash your hands and face with soap and water and often, keep your social distance, Nod Once for Yeah, Twice for No?
TigerB 4 years, 4 months ago
I just got information that some 14 persons are in lockdown at our lucaya, including a few immigration officers.. our numbers may go up.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 4 months ago
Another thing so they know, cause it looks like they'll buy anything with a sexy name.
Temperature checks are good but again they're one spoke in the wheel. The best places to check for temperature spikes are at a place of work. Anywhere else it's hit and miss. A COVID positive person visiting your store at 4 in the afternoon may have had a temperature spike between 10 and 12. Because they're not sitting in your store all day you let them in thinking you've done a great job battling the virus. At their workplace however, they can be checked at 9AM, 12PM and 4PM. one of those checks should detect a spike if they're positive. Another option is a distributed model where all stations link to a centralized DB so there's a tracking of your temperature readings and a COVID positive pattern can be detected. These stores denying entry for a single high temperature reading are probably more of a nuisance than anything else...it hot outside.
joeblow 4 years, 4 months ago
... in addition, the most common symptoms of covid are just not feeling well, headaches or bodyaches, not necessarily fever. So if someone takes tylenol for their undiagnosed covid headache or bodyaches you can't pick up a fever with the thermometer since tylenol reduces fever. So what they are doing is basically useless.
TalRussell 4 years, 4 months ago
Isn't Sundays when Mr. Minnis announces his newest changes to his confusing curfew/lockdown rules.
Is today when he will reveal contents of his heated conversations with turned rebel red coats MP's Brent and Dr. Duane? Nod Once for Yeah, Twice for No?
Godson 4 years, 4 months ago
You'll seem to forget so fast or simply don't listen. Minnie said he is in "cruise control heading into retirement".
Minnie don't give a shit. He has already gotten what he set out to achieve: holding the office of Prime Minister of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
We got taken for what it was worth!
tribanon 4 years, 4 months ago
The only reason the community spread of Covid-19 on New Providence has not been identified since Minnis foolishly re-opened our borders to visitors and residents travelling from the US is because he has ordered no wide spread testing be done anywhere in the Bahamas. It's kind of like Minnis's death count from Hurricane Dorian, i.e. if no dead corpse can be found, then there is no evidence of a death to be counted. Similarly, if no seriously ill Covid-19 patient shows up for treatment at a hospital or clinic, then there's no Cover-19 case to be counted. What a blithering fool we have as PM and now also as our minister of health. Simply unbelievable!
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