The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement Chairman Dr Duane Sands has raised concerns about the recent uptick of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, insisting the true number of infections could be higher.

Dr Sands claimed that this is due to “a substantial number” of unreported positive rapid antigen tests.

Currently, RT-PCR tests are used as the gold standard to determine COVID-19 infection in The Bahamas. The tests, which are also more costly, are the only ones reported in the nation’s daily COVID-19 dashboard.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Dr Sands said it is now time for the government to consider including positive results of antigen tests in the nation’s daily dashboard to provide Bahamians with an accurate picture of the nation’s true COVID state.

 However, when contacted for comment yesterday, Health Minister Dr Michael Darville was unable to confirm that there was a high number of people who recently tested positive by way of rapid antigen testing.

Dr Sands made the comments while expressing concern about the recent rise in cases over the last several days.

While COVID-19 cases have been trending low in recent months - with low single digit cases recorded on some days - there has been a slight uptick seen recently.

On Wednesday, 29 cases were recorded, bringing the nation’s overall tally to 33,655. Tuesday saw 25 cases confirmed, while 19 cases were reported on Monday and four on Sunday. Currently, six people remain in hospital sick with the disease.

“There has been a disturbing increase in the number of PCR positive cases,” Dr Sands said of the numbers yesterday. “I am informed that there is a substantial number of unreported positive antigen tests, which do not make it to the national dashboard and never has made it to the national dashboard.”

“But in the setting of low testing and if you look at the last fourteen days, we seldom have done more than 150 PCR tests per day and the positivity rate with rare exceptions have been well above five percent. Most times, it’s above 10 percent and sometimes it’s above 15 percent.”

“We noticed with concern that the COVID situation in virtually every state of the United States of America has worsened and that includes number of cases and hospitalisations and so we remain concerned and we urge the government to continue an aggressive campaign to try and strengthen the vaccination programme, which seems to have stalled and also to be cautious despite the calls for further reduction.”

Asked for an estimated number of positive antigens tests recorded in recent days, Dr Sands was unable to say, only noting it was “certainly more than the number of PCR positives” reported.

“What we have seen is been a shift in testing, from PCR testing which is still quite expensive to a predominance of antigen testing and so at the very least, even if you just put it as an asterisk, it would give a more reliable snapshot of what’s happening in the community,” the former health minister said.

“But to go from low single digit cases to consistently 29 cases, 19 cases, 25 cases and so on and so forth except for Sunday when very few people test, ought to be making all of us concerned. We have a fourteen-day average of sixteen cases a day and an average positivity rate over 14 days of eighteen percent. That is not a good trajectory.”

The slight rise in infection rates comes as countries around the world, including The Bahamas, continue to loosen measures.

In March, the government announced loosened mask requirements for those in hotels or outdoors and adjusted protocols for social gatherings, allowing larger events to take place.

Last month, churches and places of religious worship were allowed to have services with full occupancy and government officials also predicted a further ease to virus restrictions in the days and weeks ahead, however that has yet to happen.

Asked yesterday if he believes the government should consider tightening measures in view of rising virus numbers, Dr Sands said there needs to be a measured policy response for whenever cases rise.

He said: “There have been a number of calls for government to make public the data and the planned response to data so that the public can get by and so that business can get by etc and so that a particular change in the number of cases, positivity rates and hospitalization leads to a particular policy response.”

“Anything other than that leads people to believe that this is by feat as opposed to a methodical, objective response which is proportional, and you know rolling back of COVID restrictions whether you are talking about The Bahamas or the United States is very popular but understand that people are sick and tired of being shut in so a communication strategy and an education strategy has to be very well articulated.”

Yesterday, Consultant Physicians Staff Association President Dr Sabriquet Pinder-Butler also weighed on the recent increase in cases, which she said were not surprising given the further re-opening of the country.

“When things open up more in country and across the world in general, we know that we tend to see increases in cases,” Dr Pinder-Butler said.

“ So, the truth is I don’t think it’s surprising although we all hope that the cases as it relates to severity and death would continue to remain low but we certainly know that when we look at the trends of what we have been seeing with COVID in recent years, whenever we try to reopen, we have persons back at work and persons travelling more and I think certainly we have seen that in country throughout New Providence and the other islands and we know that COVID has not left us. I think by all those accounts we should expect that perhaps our numbers would not remain as low as we would’ve seen with the single digits in the past.”

She also urged Bahamians to continue following the recommended health measures, reminding that the virus is not going away anytime soon.

When contacted for comment yesterday, Health Minister Dr Michael Darville was unable to confirm that there was a high number of people who recently tested positive via rapid antigen testing.

“That statement by Dr Sands would have to be qualified and confirmed,” he told The Tribune yesterday. “Remember that the rapid antigen test is not a diagnostic test but merely a screening test. A tool used by the ministry and the patient for guidance, travel or employment purposes. Again the rapid antigen test is not diagnostic and the specificity and reliability of the test plays a significant role along with other factors on whether the test will produce a false positive or negative. These uncertainties can potentially contaminate the reports of the true COVID-19 cases in the country.

“But with that being said, putting the right digital platform in place would be necessary to even consider adding the rapid antigen test on the country’s COVID-19 dashboard. We at the ministry are considering all of our options of reporting positive COVID-19 cases in the country. A good example of this dilemma today was when I learned of a case that had four negative rapid antigen tests that proved positive with RT-PCR testing.”