Health minister expresses concern about unvaccinated frontline health workers
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Nearly a quarter of the active coronavirus cases in The Bahamas remain hospitalized, according to the latest data on COVID-19 cases.
The nation recorded 14 cases on Wednesday and one death that was under investigation.
Six cases were recorded on Thursday.
New infections have continued to steadily decline in the last couple of months.
It is a trend health officials hope to continue, though there has been acknowledgment of a potential fourth wave.
But as cases have trended down, The Bahamas has benefitted.
The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) revised its COVID threat level of The Bahamas from level four to level three, a move that discontinues its recommendation not to travel to the archipelago.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan said the trend in cases can be attributed in part to the government’s ongoing vaccination campaign and the uptake of the jab.
“We work closely with them regarding the CDC travel advisory and, as we all know, we would have been at a level four,” she said yesterday at the Office of the Prime Minister.
“The notification, it was a congratulatory notification, to say that we have now been downgraded to a three based on the data recently submitted.
“…I would say we have to continue to do what we are doing as a country so that we can continue to, you know, either move down that ladder, but definitely not go back up to four.“
More than 136,000 people in The Bahamas have been fully vaccinated.
Over 269,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.
Among the roughly 300,000 people eligible to take the vaccine — anyone over the age of 12 in The Bahamas — around 45 percent have been fully vaccinated.
With vaccines supplies shored up via donations of two tranches of the COVID-19 vaccine, with more en train, the government said it expects the number of fully vaccinated Bahamians to grow, though there have been some signs of vaccine uptake slowing.
Yesterday, Minister of Health Dr Michael Darville expressed concern about the number of frontline health workers who remain unvaccinated as he encouraged the wider public to take what has been labeled a life-saving tool in the fight against the pandemic.
“We are doing everything in our power,” Darville said.
“We have a surplus of vaccines now. The Bahamian people are coming out but not at the numbers we expect.”
The government plans to launch a new, innovative vaccination campaign including education, according to Darville.
According to data compiled between January and August, the unvaccinated account for the vast majority of cases hospitalized.
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