56-year-old COVID-19 patient dies

56-year-old COVID-19 patient dies

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A 56-year-old woman, who was COVID-19 positive, died last night, health officials confirmed this afternoon.

This is the eighth COVID-19 death in The Bahamas.

The New Providence resident accounted for the country’s 41st case of the virus.

Of those cases, there have been 34 confirmed cases in New Providence, six in Grand Bahama and one in Bimini.

The ministry said an investigation was underway to determine the details of the latest case.

It said health officials continue to monitor the condition of the other COVID-19 patients.

In a statement, the ministry once again urged residents to follow the emergency orders to reduce the spread of the virus.

During a live broadcast press conference on Wednesday, former Chief Medical Officer Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis said health officials project there could be a doubling of cases to 90 by Easter Sunday.

At the same briefing, National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme Director Dr Nikkiah Forbes explained that The Bahamas’ high case fatality rate is a reflection of the government’s ability to perform widespread testing.

As of Wednesday, nearly 400 people had been tested.
Meanwhile, Health minister Dr Duane Sands said while officials could not categorically attribute age and underlying health issues to explain the high mortality rate, it was definitely a factor.

It remains unclear whether the woman who died last night had any health complications.

About Royston Jones Jr.

Royston Jones Jr. is a senior digital reporter and occasional TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. Since joining Eyewitness News as a digital reporter in 2018, he has done both digital and broadcast reporting, notably providing the electoral analysis for Eyewitness News’ inaugural election night coverage, “Decision Now 2021”.