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NASSAU, BAHAMAS Acknowledging some initial “hesitancy” among some sectors of the nation towards the coronavirus vaccine, Minister of Health Renward Wells said the feedback from the general populous has been pro-vaccine, which bodes well for the government’s vaccination program.
Last month, former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands told Eyewitness News that the hesitancy expressed by healthcare workers in The Bahamas and other organizations about taking the vaccine is “not to be taken lightly”.
He suggested the government needs to make more raw data available to these groupings and the general public to allay some of the “very real concerns”.
He was being treated at home initially after being diagnosed with the virus over a week ago, but his symptoms progressed and he became “quite ill”, requiring hospitalization.
Ingraham has said he will take the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.
He is among several elder statemen who intend to become immunized.
Former Prime Minister Perry Christie told
Eyewitness News yesterday that he and his wife, Bernadette, will take the vaccine.
Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has said he will be among the first in line to take the vaccine.
Christie, Minnis and Foulkes have all encouraged Bahamians to follow suit.
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NASSAU, BAHAMAS Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan revealed yesterday that there have been several instances of coronavirus cases recovering and becoming reinfected from the virus, though her claim was not widely supported by other healthcare professionals.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan.
“We would have had reports of reinfections well, persons who would have been infected previously being infected again,” McMillan said.
“I have Dr [Indira] Martin from the reference lab.
“I’m not sure if she is in a position to speak to what she is seeing in the lab setting, but we did have one or two situations where persons who would have been previously infected…and would have been reinfected.”
Dr Duane Sands. (FILE PHOTO)
NASSAU, BAHAMAS While noting the government’s vaccine program could play a large role in limiting new infections in The Bahamas, former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands yesterday predicted a possible worst-case scenario of 20,000 confirmed cases, based on existing data.
Shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020, Sands, then the minister of health, predicted a worst-case scenario of 400 confirmed cases of the virus in The Bahamas and fewer than 100 hospitalizations.
As of Saturday, there were 8,370 cases in The Bahamas, of which 1,132 remain active.
Another 7,006 cases have recovered.
While the current number of hospitalizations stands at 18, the total figure is not represented on the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 dashboard.
Stiffer penalties for breaches of travel requirements may be required, says Sands
NASSAU, BAHAMAS Former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands said the government must enforce all aspects of its travel regime, including follow-up testing, to ensure The Bahamas’ safety and that those who enter the country take the health guidelines seriously.
On November 1, The Bahamas implemented a new testing regime for re-entry into the country that requires an RT-PCR COVID test no more than five days before the date of arrival, a health visa and a rapid antigen test five days after arrival in the country.
Between November 1 and November 6, there were 1,691 travelers who came into the country.