CAYMAN SURPASSES 1,000 POSITIVE COVID TESTS

By Mike Jarvis, London UK

With an additional 15 positive PCR test results reported on Wednesday, Cayman has surpassed 1,000 COVID-19 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

Tracking figures suggest that 1,011 positive results have been recorded to date with the most recent results showing a continued increase in the number of school children infected with the virus in the ongoing community outbreak.

In his report on Wednesday which pushed the number over the 1,000-mark, Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee said of the 618 PCR tests done across the previous 24 hours, two were positive tests in travellers on exit from quarantine and 13, positive tests from the community of which eight were children.

There are currently 182 active cases.

Despite reaching the 1,000 thresholds, the total cases to date in Cayman is still far below the rate for other countries and territories in the region.

The British Virgin Islands has recorded 2,725 confirmed cases with 37 deaths, Bermuda has had 5,536 confirmed cases with 92 deaths, Turks and Caicos Islands - 2,898 confirmed cases and 23 deaths.

Anguilla has to date recorded 594 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1 death. (Source: WHO).

Only two deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 in Cayman.

At the same time the vaccination rate in the jurisdiction is the highest in the region and one of the highest in the world.

Updating on the vaccination campaign on Wednesday, Dr Lee said 109,668 doses have been administered across the islands, of which 55,723 are first doses, representing 78% of the new estimated 71,106 population 53,258.

For those who have completed the required two doses, he said that represents 75% of our population, while 687 people have had a third or booster dose.

Cayman is close to full coverage of the first dose among persons over 60 years old with 99 per cent of them having had their initial shot.

For the other age groups, 76 per cent of under 18s have had their first jab, 82 per cent of 18- to 30-year-olds, 88 per cent of 30- to 40-year-olds, 94 per cent of those between 40 and 50 years old and 97 per cent of persons between 50 to 60 years old.

The CMO has also confirmed that the first batch of lateral flow tests have arrived and will be used first among school children due to the community outbreak in the school system.

“It's good news to say that the lateral flow test the first order arrived on the British Airways flight on Monday evening, and are now being stored at the HSA, whilst we work out the plans to deploy them. Obviously, this first deployment will be in schoolchildren as that's where we know we have a current outbreak,” he advised.