The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

GIVEN recent decline in new COVID-19 cases, government officials are considering moving to the next stage for re-opening the country, one that would see a relaxation of exercise restrictions.

Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis, co-ordinator of the government’s COVID-19 task-force, revealed this during a press conference yesterday as officials announced just one additional confirmed COVID-19 case for a total of 81.

The patient, according to Health Minister Dr Duane Sands, is a healthcare worker; the only one to test positive for the virus from among a group of healthcare workers who were tested after being potentially exposed to a patient with the virus at Princess Margaret Hospital.

The next phase of the country’s reopening, phase 1b, would see businesses allowed to provide goods and services through delivery and curbside pickup during weekdays, construction would be allowed Monday through Friday and home and hardware stores, nurseries and auto part stores would be allowed to expand their services to five days.

If the trend of few cases continues, Dr Dahl-Regis says a real examination of moving to phase two would then begin.

Dr Sands said 1,284 tests have been performed to date, eight people are currently hospitalised with COVID-19 and there are 45 active cases of the disease in the country.

He said health officials are working with law enforcement and information technology experts to introduce technology to monitor people who should be complying with self-isolation and quarantine requirements.

She further said their investigation into Bimini continues, with more than 76 swabs collected in the past two days from that island. She said their findings will determine whether they embrace West Grand Bahama and Bimini MP Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe’s proposed plan to lockdown the island for two weeks.

Meanwhile, Dr Nikkiah Forbes, infectious disease expert, said the country is looking to join clinical trials involving the antiviral drug Remdesivir, use of which has been proven successful elsewhere in the world.

“To get this drug, one has to be through clinical trials,” she said. “We did apply to be considered for a clinical trial. We are getting information and are in the pre-enrolment phase. If we can enrol patients in the trial, we will consider using that drug and will have authorisation to do so.”

Dr Sands, asked about recent decisions to re-open some businesses just as the country begins to flatten the epidemic curve of COVID-19, said finding the right balance has perplexed countries throughout the world.

“How do you strike a balance between addressing the challenge of COVID-19 and the everyday reality of people that have to eat, that have to live, that need medication, whose car might get a flat tyre, whose electrical system might require attention, who might need their clothes to be sorted and so on? We have sought to deliberately and slowly and oftentimes to great criticism, expand the scope and extent of businesses that are open.”

Dr Dahl-Regis said officials are looking to enhance protocols for detecting COVID-19 throughout a number of units at PMHl. “(Testing) wouldn’t be hospital-wide but we’ve approached this unit by unit. The dialysis unit was the next grouping. We’ve looked at all the close contacts of patients and as testing permits we tested all of those and we are still awaiting the results. Given the last case we will have to embark on a systematic approach to unit by unit determining what the exposure might have been and where the contacts might have been.”