As at December 4th there were currently 29 active cases of COVID-19 in Cayman.
This confirmation comes as Chief Medical Officer, Dr John Lee, reported on Friday that of 442 COVID-19 tests have been carried out on the previous 24 hours, one was positive.
The individual is an asymptomatic traveller who returned a positive test result following routine screening. The person has been placed in isolation until considered recovered.
The number of people in isolation, either at a government facility or in their homes as required by the Medical Officer of Health, is currently 1,317.
From this past Monday to Friday, 15 persons have tested positive for COVID this week of whom 13 were asymptomatic.
The spike in the number of COVID-positive cases has been mainly associated with travellers.
Of the 289 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Cayman since the outbreak was first recorded here in March, 258 have recovered.
No one who has tested for COVID is presently hospitalised.
There have been two deaths directly linked to the virus.
To date, 54,169 tests for the COVID-19 virus have been carried out in Cayman.
Recent high-profile breaches of the isolation protocols have also refocused attention to the risk posed by the virus to the Cayman community.
Travel Cayman which is overseeing the COVID travel and isolation system has ramped up its surveillance and contact tracing of persons who may have been exposed to the persons responsible for breaking the isolation protocols.
Enforcement regulations have also been tightened with the fine for violating the isolation protocols now set at CI$10,000.
A police investigation has been launched and the latest known breach is being reviewed for prosecution.
It was second confirmed violation of the protocol in a short period resulting in legal action being taken against the offenders.
With the 1,317 persons currently quarantining either at home or in government-managed facilities, there are growing concerns about the potential of more positive cases involving travellers especially and the pressure this is likely to put on the system with more people arriving over the Christmas holiday period.
The COVID-19 pandemic has entered a worrying second phase in many countries.
In the UK 60,000 people are now known to have died from disease, with more succumbing due to other complications associated with the virus.
The United States has also seen worrying spikes recently with concerns of a further surge being linked to recent Thanksgiving Holiday travel and fears of more cases over the Christmas period.
Over 276,000 people have died in the US and there are currently more than 14.5 million cases.
The US has the most deaths and cases of COVID globally, followed by India.
Amidst the gloom of the pandemic with its devastating impact on lives and livelihoods came the encouraging news this week that the UK has become the first country to approved one brand of vaccine.
The British government has announced a massive national vaccination programme starting this month, said to be the biggest in the country's history.
The UK has also confirmed that vaccine doses will be made available to Cayman and other British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
Comments (0)
We appreciate your feedback. You can comment here with your pseudonym or real name. You can leave a comment with or without entering an email address. All comments will be reviewed before they are published.