HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville. Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
HEALTH Minister Dr Michael Darville said officials are happy that COVID-19 hospitalisation rates are low despite skyrocketing cases, adding this will affect decisions about whether additional restrictions should be introduced.
“If you look at the Delta variant, if you had about 300 people infected with the Delta variant there (would be) about 10 percent who would be hospitalised,” he told reporters before a Cabinet meeting yesterday.
“What we are seeing with the Omicron variant is a little bit different and so our decisions are based on the evidence that is before us.”
Acknowledging The Bahamas is now in the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Darville said details will soon be released about the government’s free testing project.
Free testing was a key promise of the Progressive Liberal Party in the lead up to the general election.
“The free testing programme is actually being assessed,” he said. “We are planning to activate our free pilot testing programmes here in New Providence which appears to be the epicentre of the Omicron variant. Those free testing programmes are about to take place, hopefully we’ll get them in order this week. They will be at our centres where we are vaccinating so there will be free testing, free mask giveaways as well as vaccinations, all going on simultaneously across New Providence.
“There will be some PCR testing in our free testing programme. The methodology as well as the protocols for when free testing PCR will be implemented along with the rapid antigen test, those are conditions being worked out and they will be incorporated…”
Asked about mass gatherings at hotels, Dr Darville said officials are in discussions with hotel operators.
“With our hotels, you must realise the majority of them are practically full and there has to be some activity for their guests, including the restaurants,” he said.
“We are in deep communication with them because we are in the middle of a pandemic and we have the Omicron variant here and we know it’s highly, highly transmissible and so they are working along with the government, but I want to say again that the rules as it relates to mass gatherings apply across the board.”
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday the Davis administration’s approach to the fourth wave is too relaxed.
“The government obviously has not gotten the grasp or the impact of COVID,” he said. “They opened the country immediately and allowed all sorts of socialising.
“We’re dealing with a virus that is extremely infectious, similar to measles and a lot of people are getting sick, not necessarily being hospitalised, but that sickness will keep them away from work. That sickness obviously will have some degree of impact on the hospitals because as the numbers continue to increase – and I expect the numbers to rise even further – then obviously that can impact hospitalisation.”
Dr Minnis questioned why the government has not encouraged people to work from home.
“Why has there not been a blanket statement encouraging the private sector, all those persons who can work from home, stay home and those who need to come in, come in? The same would apply to the public sector. That obviously would reduce the co-mingling.”
COVID-19 cases have exploded in recent days, however hospital cases have remained in the low double digits.
The country recorded 580 new cases of COVID-19 over a three-day period from December 23 to 25, with Christmas Day alone accounting for 330 infections.
Those 330 cases marked the highest daily infection count the country has recorded since the start of the pandemic.
On December 23, there were 159 cases of coronavirus and the following day saw 91 cases recorded.
Data released for December 26 shows that 85 new cases were recorded. As of December 26, only 18 people were in hospital with the virus, with only one of those patients in the intensive care unit.
Comments
baclarke 2 years, 11 months ago
"Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday..." Please sir, just keep quiet, you are completely useless in the realm of politics. You had also opened up the country which also took us into a wave of infections. All sane and thinking persons realize that closing the country isn't the answer and only hurts the economy and temporarily delays new infections.
"“Why has there not been a blanket statement encouraging the private sector, all those persons who can work from home, stay home and those who need to come in, come in?" Why? Because your administration have already brain washed the private sector to "encourage" vaccination on their employees. So even my own workplace enforced a "hybrid" work from home approach forcing persons to come in to work a few days a week and also forcing them to either get vaccinated or pay for their own testing. The program was just shut down recently due to increasing infections in office... That sir is what you call STUPID and CRIMINAL. People like you Mr. Minnis make me sick.
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
CDC apparently admits that omicron case numbers are lower, much much lower than they scared the world with. So Min Darville is confirming CDC error. All resulting restrictions were also erroneously concluded and false. Seems the test strip may have said positive for questionable reasons.
https://www.rt.com/usa/544637-cdc-exagg…
baclarke 2 years, 11 months ago
Omicron can be compared to the common cold and flu... Yet as you say, they "scared the world" into taking "boosters" and shutting their borders. Covid isn't killing the world economy. Our stupid decisions are. All while we continue to make these pharmaceutical companies super rich. All sane and thinking persons should invest in these companies.
Bobsyeruncle 2 years, 11 months ago
The problem with the revised lower estimate of Omicron cases, means that the others are Delta. The number of Covid cases wasn't revised, just the number of Omicron cases.
Remember, just because Omicron is the now dominant variant, doesn't mean that Delta, or previous versions have gone away. Delta is still out there and by all accounts still far more dangerous (to the unvaccinated, vaccinated and covid recovered), than Omicron is. Now is not a good time to get complacent.
whogothere 2 years, 11 months ago
...it's basically impossible to be complacent when none of the protective protocols that were put in place work or are made ineffective by contradictory policies of convenience...Meanwhile the relative risk death or hospitalisation of COVID to the vast vast majority of public remains and always has been tiny...COVID alarmists - it's time hang up your gloves and get on with your lives...
TalRussell 2 years, 11 months ago
How long before Health Minister Dr Michael Darville and Health Officials, must call-in the UK Colony's Marines to enforce orders for de popoulaces, not in need of a life or limb saving medical care who will still be making their way to hospital?
Despite skyrocketing cases could be heading number in thousands,, de minister, office of premiership and health officials, maintain the stance that they still not sure, if trajectory has anything distinguish the symptoms as being that of this new omicron variant?
Both Paradise Island's Atlantis and Baha Mar resorts, might want switch focus check out now that Air Canada has begun, halting flights to some vacationing destinations, and everything else airlift flights like this and that by other air carries, ― Yes?
baclarke 2 years, 11 months ago
Vaccination won't stop the spread of this variant or any other variant. So it really doesn't matter. At this point, all you can do is allow the virus to take it's natural course.
LastManStanding 2 years, 11 months ago
Why should AirCanada halt flights? Should be perfectly protected and have nothing to worry about if you have your shots (which you must to be flying on AirCanada), right?
TalRussell 2 years, 11 months ago
Cause AC, ain't got no side hustle chequebook that pays planes fuel be delivered likes we ColonyAir, ― Yes?
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
Omicron hit the vaccinated which proved vaccines did not work so now they are say oh it was not Omicron because shares dropped. South Africa scientists were screaming at the hysteria with our own female scientists yesterday excusing that there was little health injury in SA because those infected were young and healthy yet no elderly died either. For a head cold people got scared then tested positive.
TalRussell 2 years, 11 months ago
Comrade, to de contrary,. Vaccines, are performing, precisely as was best hoped they'd do...save millions of lives and lots more millions from requiring hospitalization, and on a never before reached on a global scale.
Yes, be thankful by truthfully acknowledging, as to de why millions fewer are globally no longer being hooked up to Oxygen Tanks, ― Yes?
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 11 months ago
they dead. The herd was culled
ohdrap4 2 years, 11 months ago
How precisely? The CDC director was nt that precise.
https://youtu.be/uKf8dVxOy0s">https://youtu.be/uKf8dVxOy0s
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
There was no minnsands scary fourth wave of Covid after all just a scare ghost phantom media wave. 🙏 hospital beds around the world are empty except for the return of the missing in action for two years seasonal cold flu season.
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
If the math that showed more deaths in 2021 after the immediately vaccinated spread covid to their families than pre vaccine 2020 we should expect after this surge in vaccinations another batch of covid hospitalizations and deaths.
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
To add, this covid puzzle don't fit. So break it up.
https://sputniknews.com/20211228/10-omi…
Omicron destroys Delta.
ohdrap4 2 years, 11 months ago
Not to worry. they will soon find another variant.
John 2 years, 11 months ago
NEWS FLASH!!! The Omicron wave of Covid-19 will ( if not already done so) PEAK in The BaHAMAS in a few weeks. THere will be NO mass hospitalizations or deaths from this variant. Omicron affects vaccinated people, unvaccinated people and people who have taken booster shots the same. It DOES NOT attack the upper respiratory system so patients DO NOT require supplemental oxygen, they ate RV (room ventilated). Patients who are admitted to hospital have already passed the most critical stage of the infection and will normally be treated with steroids to help them recover. The average stay for a patient recovering from Omnicron is 2 days, compared to patients who have the Delta strain. The has been very few deaths from patients suffering from Omnicron. The latest being an 80 year old male. Most patients are admitted hospital with other ailments and then discovered to have Omicron as the symptoms remain very mild. So far cases continue to decline in Sou Africa.
TalRussell 2 years, 11 months ago
Curious why the Comrade John's, never get's around to hump de leg de republican governor our close neighbor, Florida's confluence of factors raises large concerns about republican governor's school mask-prohibition policy?
First, the omicron variant has proven to be highly contagious and is sweeping the state. Second, a nationwide surge in pediatric hospitalizations shows omicron is infecting more and more children,.― Yes?
John 2 years, 11 months ago
Do you know know that there is a study that concludes that the Omicron variants actually protect against the Delta variant? And some experts are stopping short of saying it is actually beneficial to get Omicron? Just apply common sense to the two questions you raised: Firstly wearing of masks is one of the most stable staple since the pandemic begun. Countries or populations that wore masks consistently had better results than those that didn’t. And even now with the great Ouse for vaccinations and booster shots, there is still a call to wear masks in public places. Secondly: it is the cold and flu season in the US, so obviously there would be increases in persons, children included getting infected with colds and flu. But how much is it just a cold or flu and not omicron? Data shows that most people (and there is not a staggering amount) who end up in hospital with Omicron usually are admitted for other ailments and omicron is discovered coincidentally. So are there a huge amount of children being rushed to emergency rooms suffering from omicron? What is the increase in the number of children being admitted this year with ( omicron) compared to those being admitted last year with colds and flu? Most of it is an attempt to fight vaccine hesitancy.
ted4bz 2 years, 11 months ago
KMT!!! 🙉
John 2 years, 11 months ago
Too much of the information coming from the US is severely steeped in politics and/or vaccines bsales pitches. They start with the shock and scare that America recorded its highest number of cases ever since the pandemic began. Then they say that most hospitals and health care facilities remain empty or, at least to pre-omicron levels. They tell you children being admitted to hospitals have increased by 400%, but they don’t tell you it is normal for this time of the year as it is cold and flu season. And they don’t say that most of the cases are not Covid related. But are still urging parents to vaccinate their children.
JokeyJack 2 years, 11 months ago
"With our hotels, you must realise the majority of them are practically full and there has to be some activity for their guests, including the restaurants,” he said."
There has to be some activity for them? But we can't have Junkanoo? I no longer speak to tourists or smile at them. We can't go back to being 2nd class citizens in our own country. Tourists need to stay out as long as they have more benefits than we do. This applies also to that other group of people that we can't mention (from another country) due to super racism.
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
The public should be warned about the cool wet draft when exiting their warm dwellings. Those old folks used to wear four tee shirts and cap or scarf on their heads. Expect an uptick is head colds according to scientists in Sweden as it seems that is all the new virus is doing. Another two weeks and hopefully this draft of hot/cold/moist will go just cold.
JokeyJack 2 years, 11 months ago
You are suggesting that Omicron is just another Coronavirus like the common cold is a Coronavirus like the Earth revolves around the sun? You are risking being burned at the stake buddy. Be careful. Omicron is deadly. Last count I did, I found only 75 people left on the entire planet. I suspect that there was a much older virus named Domicron that killed the dinosaurs. They wisely put a "D" in front of omicron because Dinosaurs starts with "D" in order to make the relationship stand out clearly. Follow THE science !!!!
carltonr61 2 years, 11 months ago
😃 haha
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