By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
INFECTIOUS disease expert Dr Nikkiah Forbes says changes to travel requirements revealed Monday by the Office of the Prime Minister are consistent with data about how COVID-19 variants are affecting the ability of vaccinated people to transmit the virus.
Still, she underscored how much vaccination remains a potent shield against a serious case of COVID-19, with no fully vaccinated person admitted to the hospital up to July 31.
In a statement on Monday, the OPM announced all fully vaccinated travellers coming to the country “will now be required to obtain a COVID-19 test (Rapid Antigen Test or PCR), with a negative result, within five days of arrival.”
For unvaccinated travellers, the requirements remain the same: those 12 years or older must get a PCR test within five days of arriving in the country.
The OPM said: “All children, between the ages of 2 and 11, 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. All children, under the age of two, are exempt from any testing requirements.”
“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.
“All fully vaccinated travellers wishing to travel within 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 the travel date from the following islands: New Providence, Grand Bahama, Bimini, Exuma, Abaco and North and South Eleuthera, including Harbour Island.
“For unvaccinated persons wishing to travel within 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 the travel date. This now applies to travel from the following islands: New Providence, Grand Bahama, Bimini, Exuma, Abaco and North and South Eleuthera, including Harbour Island.
“All children, between the ages of two and 11, wishing to travel within 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 the travel date from the following islands: New Providence, Grand Bahama, Bimini, Exuma, Abaco and North and South Eleuthera, including Harbour Island. All children, under the age of two, are exempt from any testing requirements.”
Dr Forbes said the changes are “based upon the newly available scientific data that vaccinated persons who get breakthrough infections will have as much COVID-19 in their airways as unvaccinated persons so that data supports that vaccinated persons can spread COVID-19 should they get a breakthrough infection, especially since the delta variant and other variants are spreading. That’s very important and useful information. The changes also will fall in line with CDC recommendations with international travel. If you read the CDC guidelines, it says international travel is a risk for spreading COVID-19 in light of emerging variant strains.”
More COVID-19 vaccines are expected to arrive in the country Tuesday.
Data continues to show full vaccination is a bulwark against serious illness.
“Up to July 31, of persons hospitalised for COVID-19, no fully vaccinated people have been admitted for the virus. Some partially vaccinated persons have been admitted but not many, and many of them weren’t even 14 days out from getting the first vaccine. Ninety-seven percent of the admitted cases have been unvaccinated people. Of the deaths, no fully vaccinated person has died.”
Comments
John 3 years, 3 months ago
Notice how what they are calling ‘fake news’ or ‘false information about the vaccines’ become new headlines in a matter of days or weeks. Firstly whilst no vaccinated person in The Bahamas may have gotten seriously ill or died from Covid-19, how many vaccinated persons have infected other people because they were able to enter the country without taking tests after coming from populations that were not wearing masks Or practicing other safety measures? Dr Fauci now admits that vaccinated persons can now transmit the disease to other vaccinated persons and that in breakthrough cases, the viral load in an unvaccinated person can exceed that of an unvaccinated person, making these people super spreaders. And so most of the cases presently active in The Bahamas are ‘imported’ either by persons who travelled or persons who visited. And thousands of tourists visited and left and their status will never be known. It is this constant flip flopping and pushing of the vaccines that is doing more damage than what they call ‘fake news.’ And, of course ‘fake news’ does exist but persons should be able to choose freely if they want to take the vaccine and not be castigated or treated as infidels if they have vaccine hesitancy. Especially since there are no vaccines readily available to the general Bahamian public. And did the officials make it clear that persons who recently recovered from Covid-19 do not have to rush to take the vaccine? They are now immune to the virus, at least in the short term, and contribute to herd immunity just as much as the vaccinated persons. And, in most cases, their immunity will adjust to new variants of the virus. The most recent surge in corona that is supposedly related to the Delta variant is concentrated is a few countries. Most other countries, that have closed borders and are practicing safety measures continue to see declines in their numbers of new cases and deaths. And with the US and several ‘hot spot’ countries showing decreased numbers of cases over the past few days, there was an overall decrease in the number of new cases worldwide. And if the restrictions and testing of vaccinated entering this country had been kept in place, the numbers of new cases and hospitalizations would be down. And 500,000 doses of the vaccine has been dispatched to Haiti. The world will watch with interest what happens to that country’s numbers as the vaccines are distributed. Of course they will not make the mistakes of allowing vaccinated people to travel untested or for them to discontinue wearing masks and other safety protocols. Will this Delta strain be the last wave?
John 3 years, 3 months ago
Remember it was Dr Fauci who had the world believing the Covid-19 virus came from bats, when it first appeared in Wuhan around September of 2019. The lab in Wuhan was involved in gain of function research of corona viruses when several of the scientists in that lab got ill with respiratory symptoms. Then athletes visiting the area also became ill with similar symptoms. Dr Fauci has now backed off his claim that Covid-19 originated in bats, but his latest defense is that the Wuhan lab was not the only lab involved in ‘gain of function research’ and the virus could have come from any other lab involved in similar research.
John 3 years, 3 months ago
So will Minnis allow the Emergency Orders to expire in the midst of what he calls a most dangerous and deadly surge? Why didn’t the government go back to promoting the original safety protocols in the absence of vaccines?
carltonr61 3 years, 3 months ago
IMF about to rain down billions on all loyal Covid dictators who thrashed their nations whole civilization. Hope The Bahamas is rewarded our millions in damages.
carltonr61 3 years, 3 months ago
Vaccine now only ups your immune system for those with comorbidities or over sixty seems. Curious anti logic though. You don't take the vaccine you don't spread but could sick from a vaccinated. If you take the vaccine to spread Covid and can be infected by another vaccinated persons. A healthy non vaccinated person if infected would recover but not spread Covid. A vaccinated person if infected and health will get a Covid-lite, will recover but will spread the spikes their DNA made. According to CDC PCR cannot differentiate flu, cold, or Covid.
whogothere 3 years, 3 months ago
The trials showed this would happen; the question is why it turned up in the Monkey trials but didn't in the human trials....? Somebody hiding something? Or just conveniently overlooked? How would this information (if demonstrated in human trials) have affected Vaccine Roll out...
Big oops!
May 20th 2020 - Dr Elanor Riley :
“Whilst the vaccine induced neutralising antibodies and vaccinated animals experienced less severe clinical symptoms than unvaccinated animals (good), the neutralising antibody titres were low and insufficient to prevent infection and – importantly – insufficient to prevent viral shedding in nasal secretions (worrying).
“If similar results were obtained in humans, the vaccine would likely provide partial protection against disease in the vaccine recipient but would be unlikely to reduce transmission in the wider community.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-heal…
carltonr61 3 years, 3 months ago
Wow. @gothere
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 3 months ago
They've failed every Bahamian AGAIN. That's Dr Minnis and the reporters. Can someone please find out what is the current compliance among tourists for the 5 day COVID test? Because that requirement was in place from earlier this year. This is an attempt by Minnis to have his cake and eat it to. Whatever you do, dont inconvenience the tourist and dont link them to infections. How many tourists are here for 5 days to comply? Shameful. How much partying have these untested tourists done by their 5th day? This is unbelievable.
carltonr61 3 years, 3 months ago
And now we know island wide Covid surge and death, with many young becoming ill is because this Covid team allowed The Church Of God to hold a thousand fold youth convention. How convenient to blame the public after secret convention. Had families not inform the Guardian today's addition that members who died and got hospitalized the panic would have fallen on the wider community that young people needed to be vaccinated. All the while the Compitant one staged the who thing to remain a dictator of all things past August again into another year.
dwanderer 3 years, 3 months ago
The Government should have never allowed vaccinated persons to enter or travel within the Bahamas without at least a Rapid Antigen test. The previous lifting of 'all' travel restrictions for vaccinated individuals (tourists and residents) was never supported by local medical professionals and many warned that it would be to our detriment. Just like how last year's lifting of entry requirements led to a Covid infection surge, history has again repeated itself. Too sad for those who have died whilst the authorities continuously misstep rather than keeping proven protocols in place.
ohdrap4 3 years, 3 months ago
The Nassau Guardian lead story points to a church superspreader event, and they cannot get any official comment.
How selfish can the man of the cloth be.
I stopped going to church since the lockdown.
Do likecthe muslkm and the budhist folks. Break out your little rug and pray at home.
dwanderer 3 years, 3 months ago
The Government should have never allowed vaccinated persons to enter or travel within the Bahamas without at least a Rapid Antigen test. The previous lifting of 'all' travel restrictions for vaccinated individuals (tourists and residents) was never supported by local medical professionals and many warned that it would be to our detriment. Just like how last year's lifting of entry requirements led to a Covid infection surge, history has again repeated itself. Too sad for those who have died whilst the authorities continuously misstep rather than keeping proven protocols in place.
tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago
Nikkiah Forbes is no doubt a card carrying member of the The Bahamas branch of the Confucius Institute.
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 3 months ago
You are an idiot..
tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago
ZZZZZzzzzzzz.......
carltonr61 3 years, 3 months ago
The reign of terror by the Covid authority dictating madness upon the Bahamas must end. The only winners from this pandemic are the rock dollar king crabs, medical test robbers and all those who monitized Covid in the name of G7 everything digital in gov payments.
JokeyJack 3 years, 3 months ago
"Data continues to show full vaccination is a bulwark against serious illness."
Ive always felt like something is missing in my life but could never pin it down. A good relationship? Jesus? Meditation? Adopting a child? Never could figure it out.
But now i know what it is !!! A BULWARK !!!! Ive been needing a bulwark. Muddo.
TalRussell 3 years, 3 months ago
Speak up if you know of a single DarkerLighterSkinnedHabitant that has deaded from any vaccines?
But untold numbers has and will deaded, resulting from RedRegimesAuthority's neglect secure but few the tough little bottles crucial to fighting serial murderous Covid.
The serious point that should've been at the top list softball questions posed during Morning Blend with Dwight Strachan to Dr. Delon Brennen. Deputy Chief Medical Officer to Come clean” about the ministry of healths the lack of vaccines?
Obviously, an interview was conducted via telephone from some undisclosed Washington, DC location, yes?
bahamianson 3 years, 3 months ago
You'll crazy, that's all I can say.
baclarke 3 years, 3 months ago
The government should have been testing vaccinated persons from LONG time..... They tried to sell the people a dream. Now that dream has failed....
tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago
Nikkiah Forbes is nothing but a mouth piece for the CCP controlled WHO and PAHO. She must sing whatever song of the day her untrustworthy masters tell her to sing for her supper. You will never hear her discuss any of the matters below in public for fear of losing her job.
The waning efficacy of the mRNA vaccines is now supported by both an ever increasing number of 'break throughs' as well as scientific studies showing that anti-body levels in the vaccinated exponentially diminish over a relatively short period of time resulting in minimal if any protection after about 8 months.
This waning efficacy is the reason why the mRNA vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer and Moderna have already publicly announced that one or more boosters in addition to the first two jabs will be necessary. The big pharma manufacturers are trying to persuade the FDA that additional experimental booster(s) are needed to help the body's immune system (T-cells) develop a more lasting memory effect to defend against future infections.
Meanwhile persons who were infected and have recovered from the Wuhan virus and its variants are exhibiting a much more lasting duration of immunity, possibly for many years.
But so far the science is not supporting the booster requirement claims made by the big pharma mRNA vaccine manufacturers. And the FDA, having over the years been accused many times of being 'in bed' with the very greedy giants of big pharma, is now under intense scrutiny and has so far refused to approve the additional experimental booster(s).
The two biggest and most greedy mRNA vaccine manufacturers, Pfizer and Moderna, and the despicable US congressmen they bank roll, are now wrongfully exerting intense pressure on the FDA to act without the necessary scientic evidence because the cost of manufacturing the booster(s) cannot be underwritten (paid for) by the US government (US taxpayers) without being approved for experimental use on a voluntary basis by the FDA.
Pfizer and Moderna are not only seeking FDA approval of their experimental mRNA vaccines for general use as opposed to emergency use only on a voluntary basis, they are also seeking to have the US government extend their immunity from prosecution for all side-effects, including unknown potential long-term side effects. They want to be able to continue making a fortune off of the new Vaccine Dependent Global Society they create without fear of prosecution for the potential harmful effects of their experimental products. Talk about financial greed of the most evil kind!
Just like the Wuhan virus and its variants cannot survive and thrive without human hosts, the enormous windfall profits of the mRNA vaccine manufacturers and testers cannot continue and grow without the creation of a highly controlled Vaccine Dependent Global Society. And this is possibly the 'very evil intent' that all of mankind must guard against happening no matter what.
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