NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As coronavirus cases starkly rose over the weekend, Director of the National HIV/AIDS Programme Dr Nikkiah Forbes confirmed yesterday that The Bahamas is in another wave of COVID-19.
Forbes said it’s a state of affairs that will occur in periods as the nation approaches its third year in the pandemic.
“We are in a wave of COVID,” the director told Eyewitness News.
“We’re seeing an increase in cases and so, absolutely we are in a wave of COVID-19.
“We can expect that this is how COVID is going to behave: that there is going to be periods where it goes up in a wave and then it’s going to settle back down.
“But we are in another wave of COVID.”
There were 155 cases over the weekend, and another 88 last Thursday.
In the last week, there have been 346 infections, compared to the 209 cases the week before.
This represents a 65 percent increase in cases week-over-week.
The Bahamas recorded 721 cases between May 1-23, nearly triple the cases recorded during the same period last month.
There were 188 cases between April 1-23.
Eyewitness News reported on cases doubling in late April.
Yesterday, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness confirmed the appearance of a fifth wave for Jamaica, announcing the reintroduction of COVID-related measures, including a reinstating of the mask mandate in short order.
While testing at Bahamian borders remains in place, domestic restrictions remain limited.
The government has yet to eliminate mask-wearing but hopes to do so in the summer.
The mask requirement was somewhat relaxed in mid-March.
The current Health Services COVID-19 Rules provide that a person is not required to wear a mask “in a lobby, corridor, or casino of a hotel, or while in an outdoor setting where there is at least three feet of space between persons who are not of the same household”.
The Ministry of Health has also deemed larger events with strict protocols as safe, though the substantive minister indicated recently that restrictions could be tightened if the need arises.
The threshold for that tightening of restrictions has not been made public, but Eyewitness News understands the healthcare sector’s capacity to handle infections and severe cases is a key metric.
Forbes was asked whether health experts were satisfied with the current indicators of the wave, namely hospitalization levels.
“This is a subsequent wave after Omicron,” Forbes said.
“Hospitalizations at this time, they’re largely not related to COVID itself.
“It’s people who are presenting for other things, who are testing positive for COVID-19.
“Deaths have slowed and it appears to not affect the respiratory system as much.
“We are monitoring it closely. We do know how it can be prevented. Vaccine, of course, will also be helpful to prevent severe disease.”
Meanwhile, public sentiment on the mask mandate and the general disposition towards the pandemic appears mixed, with many experiencing COVID fatigue.
Others, especially those who have had a brush with a severe case, continue to view increased restrictions, even in a personal capacity, as necessary.
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