CAYMAN’S OMICRON SURGE SHOWS NO SIGN OF ABATING

By Staff Writer

The current new wave of COVID-19 shows no sign of abating with another 432 new cases reported on Friday January 7th.

Of that number, 403 are from the virus contracted within the community with the other 29 among travellers.

Just one day earlier on Thursday, another 466 new cases were recorded of which again the majority by far - 425 - were attributed to community spread.

According to the update issued by Health Service Agency (HSA) under Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. Autilia Newton, there have been 89 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in the Cayman Islands to date.

Meanwhile, the number of probable Omicron cases reached 1,073 on Friday with the number of reported active cases at 3,470 of which 3,221 are linked to community transmission.

Four COVID-19 patients were hospitalised in the Cayman Islands as at midnight on Friday, 7 January. There was one new admission during this period.

Specific to the Sister Islands, 33 new cases have been found bringing the total there to 214 with 128 recovered. The report for Cayman Brac and Little Cayman also shows that 132 residents were fully vaccinated, seven were partially vaccinated, and 75 were unvaccinated.

The percentage of the Cayman Islands population who are reported COVID positive currently stands at 4.88 percent. The number of cases recorded here since the start of the pandemic is 10,618.

The current surge of new COVID-19 cases across Cayman, especially the now dominant Omicron variant reflects a pattern of the explosive spread of this strain of the virus around the world.

It remains a cause for concern despite not being regarded as severe as the Delta strain. The Omicron variant has forced many people into isolation including those in the workforce, especially the essential services even if they have not tested positive.

The latest reports from the Cayman authorities have not been stating the number of people currently in isolation. No explanation has been given.

A Cayman Times tracker shows that by the end of September last year there were 1017 persons in isolation, rising to 1,555 by around mid-October, surging to an estimated 4,500 (pending confirmation) by the end of November, and falling back to 3,550 by the end of last month.

The resulting economic and social impact of having people, especially workers and essential staff in isolation has forced many governments, including the UK and US, to relax some of their restrictions and protocols. They argue that the Omicron strain is now so widespread that the only option is to adapt and live with it to avoid further economic dislocation.

On the other hand, other governments such as France, The Netherlands, and Australia have adopted draconian measures to suppress the rampaging spread of Omicron.

Despite their different methods for dealing with COVID, in particular this strain, governments around the world are nonetheless placing a heavy emphasis on vaccination.

Throughout the Cayman Islands, 82 per cent or 58,965 persons (of 71,106 est. population) have had a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Those who have received two doses account for 80 per cent - or 57,403 - while 17,784 persons (representing 25% of the estimated population) have received a third or booster dose.

Despite the rate being relatively static over the past few months, Cayman remains one of the global COVID-19 vaccination leaders.