Dr Duane Sands. Photo: Donavan McIntosh/Tribune staff
‘WE ARE NOWHERE OUT OF THE WOODS YET’
DESPITE low COVID infections recorded over the last few days, one leading physician is urging Bahamians not to become overly confident and let their guards down, insisting “we are nowhere out of the woods yet”.
Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands said The Bahamas is still in the midst of the third wave of the pandemic and warned residents not to come to the false conclusion that the deadly virus has left the country.
He spoke after health officials recorded 17 new infections on Saturday. Thirteen of them are in New Providence, two are in Inagua and there is one new case each in Abaco and Andros.
Friday saw 15 new infections. Meanwhile, 42 cases were recorded on Thursday, 37 on Wednesday, 29 on Tuesday, 15 on Monday and 53 on Sunday for a total of 208 last week.
Yesterday, Dr Sands said the relatively low virus numbers could be attributed to several factors.
He said: “We’re on a holiday weekend so access to labs and access to testing is down. If you look at the number of people tested, we had about 200 people that tested from the last day that we had data available.”
“So, the results from (Saturday) show that there are about 200 people tested so while we hope and pray for diminishing numbers, I don’t think we should jump to any conclusions as yet. We are still in the midst of a third wave. We still have more than 40 people hospitalised.
“We still have people in the intensive care unit. I know from my own practice that we continue to have very ill patients with COVID and we are nowhere out of the woods as yet, so let’s not let our guards down.”
The Bahamas has been battling its third wave of new infections since April, which saw 1,133 new cases and ten COVID related deaths. The previous month, March, had 440 new infections.
New virus numbers and hospitalisations, however, continued to rise in May, with over 1,300 new cases recorded for that month.
As of May 31, data released by the Ministry of Health showed that there were 1,345 confirmed cases and 31 virus related deaths for that month alone.
The rise in cases and deaths comes as the nation continues to vaccinate its citizens against the COVID threat, with more than 62,000 shots administered to date, including 13,749 second dose shots.
Yesterday, Dr Sands said: “While we’re grateful for the number of people that have been vaccinated, it’s far, far less than we need to be vaccinated and so I don’t want us to take a victory lap yet.”
Currently, the overall number of cases in the country stands at 12,004. Of this figure, 669 cases still remain active, 140 of which have been confirmed in June so far.
Health officials say 45 people are in hospital sick with the virus. Three of these cases are in the ICU.
As it relates to the nation’s COVID death toll, 232 people are confirmed to have died from the virus. The latest deceased victims are a 70-year-old man and 77-year-old man who both died on May 30.
Health officials say the men lived in New Providence.
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
FORMER Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands says while he believes the country is making some progress in getting Bahamians vaccinated against COVID-19, “we are nowhere near the beneficial threshold” of achieving herd immunity.
He also said in order for the country to see the results of vaccinations, at least “200,000 more people” need to be fully vaccinated.
According to the government’s latest vaccine tracker, 62,183 vaccine doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered to Bahamians and residents to date, including 13,749 second doses.
Yesterday, Dr Sands said while numbers show the country is moving in the right direction, they are still a far cry from where The Bahamas needs to be in order to achieve herd immunity.
Health Minister Renward Wells told reporters last week he estimated 120,000 people need to be vaccinated in order for the nation to be “in good stead” in the fight against COVID-19.
However, Dr Sands told The Tribune yesterday: “We have almost 400,000 people in (the) country... if we want to reap the benefits of vaccination, we’re going to need to get several hundred thousand more people fully vaccinated and I said several hundred thousand more, so two hundred thousand more fully vaccinated at least. So, we’re nowhere near the beneficial threshold for vaccinations.”
He said to get more people vaccinated, officials need to continue addressing the deep-rooted concerns many have regarding the vaccine, which is causing hesitancy in some quarters.
This includes clearing up misinformation being widely circulated on social media about the shots, he added. Dr Sands said educational campaigns and other informative programmes could be launched in helping to get the message across.
“We’re making some progress and I’m grateful for those that have been vaccinated but we have many more people who are still afraid and who are still hesitant, who are still reluctant, and we need to find out what their concerns are and to sensitively and compassionately reach out to them because people have some genuine concerns,” the Elizabeth Estates MP said.
“…There is hesitance among many different groups including healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses and the nonprofessional healthcare workers. So, as we look at the number of persons who have completed their vaccination programme and then ask ‘how do we increase that number?’ There has to be a multifaceted strategy with educational campaigns and outreach programmes and removing the barriers to vaccination to include the primary care physicians in the vaccination programme so we don’t have to rediscover the wheel. We can use some of the lessons learned in other jurisdictions and who have studied the uptake of vaccines among black and brown persons in the United States and Great Britain in other countries.
“This is not a uniquely Bahamian phenomenon and throughout the Caribbean, people are reluctant to be vaccinated and they will cite various reasons as to why (they don’t want the vaccine.) Some of those reasons include the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation on social media, so we are fighting an uphill battle.”
Dr Sands also addressed concerns people may have with taking the AstraZeneca vaccine, noting it to be safe and effective.
“We have not been able to source Pfizer or Moderna or Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccines, not yet—which is not to say we won’t eventually be able to—but we have been fortunate to get AstraZeneca and the best vaccine that you can get or take is the one you have available,” he stressed.
“Now, people are saying ‘I will wait for the Pfizer’ and would have you and that’s fine because it’s a personal choice, but the access to some of those vaccines is a very complicated and geopolitical and economic maze and who knows when we will have other vaccines in The Bahamas.
“.. I don’t believe that outside of the big four of five (vaccines) that there’s going to be any dramatic uptake of any vaccine over the other moving forward,” Dr Sands added.
According to Mr Wells, talks are continuing to procure additional doses from different vaccine manufacturers.
He told reporters last week: “We are in discussions at the highest level for procurement of additional vaccines for the country. We have had discussions with the Chinese here in the country, we’ve (been) offered as a nation, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs would say, vaccines from China.”
More like this story
- Less than three million vaccinated across Caribbean
- PM: Bahamas to receive 33,600 AstraZeneca doses before end of July
- ‘PEOPLE ARE DYING IN DROVES’ – SANDS: Former minister says change our policy or accept frequent deaths
- INSIGHT: Just look at the COVID numbers - these are dangerous times
- PAHO urges countries to continue vaccinations
Comments
Empiricist 3 years, 4 months ago
If incentives are used elsewhere in other countries to motivate individuals to get the vaccine. We should try them here.
C2B 3 years, 4 months ago
Free Conch salad for e jab!
carltonr61 3 years, 4 months ago
With cruse ships about to sail with vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers it should be interesting to see gov navigate those charted waters. Which narrative will become primary in the script of things.
Francis_James 3 years, 4 months ago
Can anyone explain the arithmetic in the vaccination dashboard works? 48,434 people have one vaccination, 13,749 people have two vaccinations, so the total number f vaccinations is 75,932, but the dashboard says only 62,183 because MOH seems to confuse vaccinations with "fully" vaccinated people.
C2B 3 years, 4 months ago
i think it says that 48,434 have been vaccinated, of those 13,749 people have had 2. Total of 62,183.
JokeyJack 3 years, 4 months ago
If you are wanting to count the total number of NEEDLES used then your calculation is correct. If you want to know how many PEOPLE have receiving at least one injection then their calculation is correct.
carltonr61 3 years, 4 months ago
Geopolitics mixed with Western big pharma profits puts a spin on health and vaccines. Sputnik V was the first vaccine made in late 2020 yet our caring WHO instead of rushing to saves millions of lives sat on its behind to await the arrival of experimental gates designed vaccines. The Sputnik has been around for decates as tested flu vaccine with no side effects. Programming our bodies DNA to produce spike proteins may produce spikes elsewhere along the human chain. We are the guinnypigs.
carltonr61 3 years, 4 months ago
https://sputniknews.com/science/2021060…
John 3 years, 4 months ago
Is Dr. Sands keeping up on the latest developments since the release of Dr. Fauci's emails? Dr Fauci knew all along that the virus was engineered in the Wahun lab that was being funded by US taxpayers' money. Five of the scientists working in that lab got sick (from the virus) and had to be treated in hospitals. Maybe that is how the virus escaped the lab. But he lied, even to the then-president Donald Trump, maintaining that the virus came from bats into humans in the China market. This was from September 2019. And all scientists who disagreed with Fauci and maintained that the virus was engineered were silenced. Some were threatened. Then the mystery or strange flu started showing up here, around the time of Hurricane Dorian. Persons complained of feeling like they were drowning and feeling so bad they were praying for death. Doctors were treating patients but didn't know what the flu/virus was. Then after the Chinese New Year's celebration, the virus went global, hitting virtually every country. Dr. Fucci is being dismissive about the virus and giving misleading information. This is despite thousands of emails linking him to the lab where it is believed the virus originated. So how can you trust the vaccines? No one knows the long term effects of them. And these vaccines have not fully approved by the FDA. The corona numbers are falling in countries that haven't been vaccinated just as fast as they are falling in countries that had mass vaccinations. What does this science suggest?
C2B 3 years, 4 months ago
Your second last sentence is not correct; did you hear it on Fakebook?. Vaccinated Countries are diminishing in all measurable metrics vis a vis non vaccinated Countries.
John 3 years, 4 months ago
My full post is completely accurate. Basically ALL African countries, Caribbean countries, many Asian countries and South American countries have declining numbers. And those are ones targeted by Biden to get the vaccines. And some countries will not accept the vaccines or administer them because their numbers are not pandemic. Maybe you got your information off Facebook.
Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 4 months ago
Many of those countries have very low testing rates and have a very basic healthcare infrastructure with many cases probably going unreported. Also, large amounts of their populations live rurally in villages where they know little about what is going on. African countries are probably top of that list, where healthcare is basic to say the least, and cases more than likely unreported..
Additionally, the populations of a lot of those continents already have a much lower life expectancy than those in 'developed' countries. Since most COVID deaths are associated with the elderly, (over 70's or 80's), these countries have a very low percentage of people in the particularly vulnerable age groups. Africa currently has the world's youngest population with a median age of 19 years, so most of their cases have been in the younger population who are more likely to recover.
JokeyJack 3 years, 4 months ago
It depends on what denomination of the science religion you worship in. There is no such thing as science anymore. It is just whichever opinion has the connections to be broadcast on the major news networks.
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 4 months ago
There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to say the vaccine was engineered in that lab. None. The origin is still unknown. All we know is some techs got "flu like symptoms" not even conformation they had covid. The emails exposed nothing sinister. Period. All they confirmed was that mankind had no experience with covid 19 and was learning as we go....
Stop listening to dumb American right wing assholes...
John 3 years, 4 months ago
Obviously you are a Fauci sympathizer. Scientists were saying since last year that there was no evidence to support Dr. Fauci’s claim that the virus jumped from bats to humans in the consumption of vat meat in the Wahun market. But Facui’s email confirm that corona virus were being developed in the lab where the virus is suspected to have originated. And this bio warfare was being funded by US taxpayer money and Chinese money. And something happened in the lab that sent five workers to the hospital. And Fauci went to great pains to keep information from leaking out. What was conspiracy theory last year is supported facts today. And Fauci is still being dismissive.
Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 4 months ago
Fauci's emails don't CONFIRM anything, except that he couldn't conclusively say where it originated from. Like most scientists, he was hypothesizing possible scenarios.
Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 4 months ago
The corona numbers are falling in countries that haven't been vaccinated just as fast as they are falling in countries that had mass vaccinations. What does this science suggest?
Been to Brazil, Argentina, Malaysia, Philippines or India recently ? Just a few of many countries where cases are increasing exponentially and few have been vaccinated.
John 3 years, 4 months ago
LIES!!! There are no countries that are showing exponential increases in Covid-19
Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 4 months ago
Okay, maybe the word exponential was an exaggeration on my part, but covid numbers are not falling in all those countries I mentioned, and that is a FACT!!!!
John 3 years, 4 months ago
This is still LIES!! There is NO COUNTRY on the planet currently seeing consistent increases in Covid-19 cases. The cases worldwide have declined by 66%, Eve in India and Brazil. The US cases have declined by over 90%. Cuba was one of the last countries in this region to bend its curve and experts believe the third wave is coming to an end. The question is, will there be a fourth wave.
Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 4 months ago
Utter nonsense, my friend. As of June 6th, the following countries are all still showing increases: Malaysia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Brazil. Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Venezuela, Dom. Republic, Guatemala, Cuba (borderline), Kuwait, Oman, South Africa, Uganda, Tunisia, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, DR Congo. All of these countries and more, are currently showing an increase in cases.
My source: Johns Hopkins University and National Public Health Agencies. What is your source?
John 3 years, 4 months ago
Worldwide daily corona cases have fallen from a high of over 900,000 in April (April 23) to a current low of just over 300,000, an over 66% decline. And whilst India and Brazil are recording daily deaths in the thousands, though greatly reduced from just a few weeks ago, most countries are recording daily covid deaths in single digits.
tribanon 3 years, 4 months ago
Well, I guess we can now safely assume Sands is one of the lucky few on the testing, vaccine acquisition and jabbing gravy train. Just can't help but wonder how many annual jabbings he will want all of us to get going forward. The lab owners and medical doctors certainly seem highly motivated to feed on the bountiful Wuhan Virus gravy train for all it's worth. I suspect Sands will pretty soon be declaring that it's safe and advisable for all unborn babies over 6 months of age to be tested and jabbed at least once or twice while still in the mother's womb. Is it noon yet? I'm feeling the need for a stiff drink.
DonAnthony 3 years, 4 months ago
You sound intoxicated already😂
John 3 years, 4 months ago
C2B 3 years, 4 months ago
Don't forget Trump thanked the Chinese for their transparency and co-operation. Everyone was told to shut up so as not to mess up a potential trade agreement with China. But since Trump was fired, maybe everyone should go.
John 3 years, 4 months ago
Well for certain no one in the US is more in fear for their lives at this moment than Dr. Anthony Fauci. As he said in one of his emails to his contacts in the Chinese lab, ‘there are a lot of sicko’s in America.” This was apparently after he got some sort of threat. And Biden cannot rush to fire Fauci right now, especially if the corona virus research and development was being done on behalf of the US government. So Biden gives them 90 days to ‘determine’ the origin of the virus. The Chinese already had the lab ‘cleaned up’ by military personnel and obviously a lot of documents were shredded. But in the main time the world sits in the middle of a pandemic with vaccines many are not willing to trust
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 4 months ago
It just struck me that Renward Wells may be as good at math as he is at english...
stislez 3 years, 4 months ago
Bro we still practice indigenous african culture of healing from the earth how u expect people to be takin no damn vaccine. We have a natural push back against anything wa een natural. I mean we still use bush medicine bro, i doubt people who practice natural healing through plants and such does go dabble in pharmaceuticals.
TalRussell 3 years, 4 months ago
The sacked former comrade health minister is seen for his lackin' in what goin' to take for him to be seriously listened to like that voice out in this realm of 1200 Out Islands, Cays, and Rocks, that is worth being heard out by the thousand Out Islanders constituents who is so damn hungry for some honest and straight shootin' that's being spoken directly from the heart kind leadership.
What a loss it''ll be the Realm, if the former crown minister, turns out to be just another DNA-type leader?
But it might add some credibility to talk of Doc's rebrandin' of emself as the newest party leader for the DNA, yes?
DDK 3 years, 4 months ago
Think this politician should go vaccinate heself!!
John 3 years, 4 months ago
If IT IS EVENTUALLY CONFIRMED and PROVEN that the COVID-19 virus escaped from a lab doing research to develop bio weapons, then those persons,i governments and countries responsible will have to stand to account. ALL ( meaning the entire world)will be entitled to compensation, and countries, like The Bahamas, must have its entire debt written off. Companies , like cruise lines and hotels that suffered for over a year must also be handsomely compensated. So must persons who lost family and loved ones. Some families losing several members in a matter of days and, of course, there must also be criminal charges against countries, companies and individuals.
ohdrap4 3 years, 4 months ago
They will just nake sure it takes 60 years to prove. Then 1 or 2 95 year olds will fight in court to get money.
What happened to the compensation to a an elderly woman who was a "comfort woman" in the war? Did they ever pay her?
Also the native children abducted in Canada. They just found a cemetery of them.
carltonr61 3 years, 4 months ago
The Chinese are saying Fauci leaked do uments were deep planted then released to appear to point somewhere from the Gordon Guy at Wall Street Journal that Brock the Iraqi WMD fake story. Chinese says we should be away aware and check the dangerous source of planted leak.
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