NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Bahamas has recorded the youngest coronavirus positive case to date after a six-month-old baby was confirmed to have contracted the virus, Eyewitness News can reveal.
The parents of the child, who have asked to remain anonymous, advised that the baby had been confirmed positive on Saturday, but they are still unsure as to the next steps to take after receiving little to no guidance from health officials.
In an interview with Eyewitness News, one of the parents described the entire ordeal as very emotional.
“I’m a realist. I live in the real world, so I am quite aware that it’s a risk that anyone can get it,” the parent said.
“But to know your six-month-old child contracted COVID-19, it’s not a good feeling.
“It’s really not a good feeling so we are just trying to be strong.”
The parents noted that a healthcare worker who lives in the home had tested positive for the virus last week and that is how they believe the child was exposed.
They became concerned after the baby also started displaying COVID-19 symptoms.
After seeking advice, the family’s pediatrician advised them to go to the South Beach Clinic.
The parents expressed grave frustration over the tedious process and the run around to get the diagnosis back.
“We went down to the clinic, they told us that we needed to go to Elizabeth Estates clinic,” the parent continued.
“So we went to Elizabeth Estates Clinic and when we went there, they wrote us a form and referred us back to South Beach Clinic.”
After returning to South Beach, the family was then advised that the doctor was not in and they would have to return the next day.
They were also told that test results could take two-weeks process.
Unsatisfied with the advice, the family then proceeded to the hospital to have the child examined by a doctor.
“We still insisted that they do a COVID-19 swab and they did the swab, and the next day we got a call that the child is COVID-19 positive.”
The family said what further exasperated the process was not knowing what to do.
“We had no guidance. What’s the process. What I want to know is the child is COVID-19 positive, should we admit the child to the hospital? Will the Ministry of Heath reach out to us. What is the process to confirm the child has recovered, is it two negative COVID-19 test back to back? I just need help, just some answers.”
The parents acknowledged the risks of being exposed and the virus being passed on to one of the two, but there is simply no other option in the matter.
The child is reportedly showing mild symptoms at this time.
One of the parents believes they may have already been exposed and believes to have started experiencing some symptoms.
Another concern raised was the inadequacy in the ministry’s contact tracing of the people in the home who have come into contact with positive cases.
The family said they have yet to hear from officials regarding the protocol and contact tracing of the first person who tested positive in the home.
Health officials have advised that there is a significant backlog in testing and contact tracing due to the surge in cases.
The government had sought to implement several measures including introducing testing at the Princess Margaret Hospital lab and setting up a contact tracing unit in the Melia in order to catch up with the backlog.
Officials indicated that yesterday’s COVID-19 dashboard and update would be issued very late. However, the dashboard had not been released up to press time.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Health reported two additional COVID-19 deaths alongside 62 new confirmed cases, bringing the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the country to 29, and the total number of cases to 1,765.
The ministry’s August 22 dashboard was released early Sunday morning, shortly before 1am.
The latest deaths are two women from New Providence aged 45 and 65-years-old.
