The Bahamas ranks 178th in Global COVID-19 Index

The Bahamas ranks 178th in Global COVID-19 Index

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas has ranked 178th out of 184 countries in a Global COVID-19 Index (GCI) analyzing the severity and recovery rates of countries during the coronavirus pandemic.

The country received a recovery rating of 1 and a severity rating of 4.

Countries with a recovery rating of 1 or 2, “are struggling to cope with the crisis and who may need to consider maintaining stringent non-pharmaceutical measures.

Whereas countries with severity ratings between 3 and 5 are considered to be “overwhelmed by the crisis with a high percentage of infections and resulting deaths per population”.

Recovery ratings between 3 and 5 point to countries “who have made the most progress in curtailing the spread of the pandemic and can be used as examples of best practices”.

And severity ratings of 1 and 2 were given to countries “who are coping with the crisis with a low percentage of infections and resulting deaths per population”.

The index was developed by PEMANDU Associates in collaboration with Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) and the Sunway Group.

“The GCI Severity Index is designed to exhibit ‘scarring’ characteristics so that countries that have been affected badly from a health perspective by COVID-19 can be compared with countries that have been similarly affected, and yet have been able to recover,” it read.

To date, The Bahamas has confirmed 6,644 cases of COVID-19.

Of that number, 5,122 were recorded in New Providence.

The number of active cases stands at 2,111, with recovered cases at  4,345.

Topping the index were places such as Hong Kong SAR, China, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, and South Korea.

On Sunday the prime minister announced a marginal pushback of the weekday curfew and the reopening of beaches and parks on New Providence and Abaco.

He also announced 8pm to a 5am curfew for New Providence, Abaco and Grand Bahama.

About Sloan Smith

Sloan Smith is a senior digital reporter at Eyewitness News, covering a diverse range of beats, from politics and crime to environment and human interest. In 2018, Sloan received a nomination for the “Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of The Year Award” from The Bahamas Press Club for her work with Eyewitness News.