Wells attributes increase in cases to social events; expresses confidence in existing mitigation measures and vaccine rollout
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of Health Renward Wells said yesterday that he does not foresee any additional restrictions in coronavirus measures, despite a recent spike in COVID-19 cases and a health official saying The Bahamas is in the early stages of a third wave.
There have been 235 new cases recorded over the past week, taking the number of cases in the country to 9,505.
Health officials confirmed 45 new cases of COVID-19 in The Bahamas on Monday.
Of those cases, 30 were on New Providence — one with a history of travel; seven on Grand Bahama; one on Abaco; five on Bimini and Cat Cay; one on Eleuthera; and one on Exuma.
There are currently 42 hospitalized cases — 39 moderately ill and three in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
The number of active cases stands at 283, with 100 recoveries recorded on Monday.
Wells said the Ministry of Health’s Surveillance Unit is aggressively monitoring the situation.
“We are doing all the things that we did in the Ministry of Health to get our hands around our second wave to ensure the country does not enter the third wave,” he said.
This contradicts Director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme Dr Nikkiah Forbes’ comments on Sunday that the country is already in its third wave.
“When we first started to see the uptick in cases, we were watching carefully,” she told Eyewitness News.
“It could have been just a slight uptick that could have gone back down to baseline.
“But when you have a sustained increase in cases over a period of time, you have to call that a wave.
“It’s fair to say we are in the early stages of a third wave.”
Wells continued: “While we are seeing an increase in the cases, the ministry has also sought to increase the number of opportunities for vaccination and we have the two circumstances running concurrently.”
He insisted the health measures in place and deployment of vaccinations will reduce incidences of positive cases.
“I don’t foresee any more measures in regards to the health protocols than what we have in place,” he said.
The health minister added that the daily fluctuation in cases could be due to isolated events with individuals gathering.
“What we are seeking to do is just to remind the Bahamian people to adhere to the health protocols,” Wells said.
“We know that [at the] end of the day, we are going to be able to control this pandemic in the country.”
He noted overwhelming support and interest from those who are eligible for the vaccine.
More than 15,000 people on New Providence, Grand Bahama and Eleuthera have been vaccinated to date.
The government will roll out vaccines on Abaco and the Abaco Cays on Thursday.
The health minister said additional security measures will be put in place to secure the vaccines.
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