Good Afternoon,
This evening I am saddened to report that Bermuda has once again experienced another COVID-19 related death.
The loss of another life to COVID-19 in the Bermuda community is very upsetting and I offer sincere condolences to the loved ones of the deceased during this extremely difficult time.
I will now provide today’s daily statistics…
There were 873 test results received by the Ministry of Health since the last update and 8 were positive for COVID-19.
Four of the new cases are classified as imported with details as follows:
· 1 resident who arrived on DL 617 from New York on 30 December 2020 and tested positive on their day 4 test
· 1 resident who arrived on DL 584 from Atlanta on 3 January 2021 and tested positive on their arrival test
· 2 residents who arrived on BA 2233 from London on 3 January 2021 and tested positive on their arrival test
Two of the new cases are classified as local transmission with known contact as they are associated with known cases.
The additional two new cases are classified as under investigation. These cases are among residents with no currently identified links to other known cases or history of travel in the past 14 days.
Since the last update, 3 cases have recovered and, sadly, one has died.
There are currently 99 active COVID-19 cases in Bermuda, of which:
· 94 are under public health monitoring and
· 5 are hospitalized with none in critical care;
Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 632 total confirmed cases of COVID-19; out of those, 99 are active cases, 522 persons have recovered and 11 persons sadly succumbed to COVID-19.
The mean age of all confirmed positive cases is 43 years (median: 40 years) and the age range is less than 1 year to greater than 100 years.
The mean age of all currently active cases is 41 years (median: 41 years) and the age range is less than 10 years (age group: 5-9 years) to greater than 80 years (age group: 80-100 years).
The mean age of all currently hospitalized cases is 53 years (median: 54 years) and the age range is less than 30 years (age group: 20-29 years) to greater than 80 years (age group: 80-100 years).
The mean age of all deceased cases is 77 years (median: 80 years) and the age range is less than 60 years (age group: 50-59 years) to greater than 80 years (age group: 80-100 years).
The source of all cases is as follows:
· 168 are Imported
· 384 are classified as local transmission of which:
· 349 are Local transmission with known contact/source and
· 35 are Local transmission with an unknown contact/source
· 80 are Under Investigation
As investigations proceed, transmission categories may change. Today’s update has 1 case moving from under investigation to local transmission with known contact/source and 1 case moving from under investigation to local transmission with unknown contact/source.
The seven-day average of our real time reproduction number is less than 1 (0.62) and Bermuda’s current country status remains “Clusters of Cases”.
There are a few matters that I need to cover in my remarks today…
First, the vaccine:
I am pleased to confirm that just over 9,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are scheduled to arrive in Bermuda on the British Airways flight this Friday 8 January 2021. Once the vaccines arrive on island, they will be taken immediately to a storage facility.
The Ministry will begin administering the vaccine doses on Monday 11 January 2021, to healthcare and essential workers who agree to take the vaccine. In this context, essential frontline workers are those who provide services which prevent social disruption and allow society to function and who are also at risk for higher levels of exposure to COVID-19. This includes firemen, police, corrections officers, personnel at the ports of entry and teachers.
We will also administer the first batch of the vaccine to our most vulnerable, seniors (who give their consent), in rest homes and long-term care facilities. There is no cost for the vaccine and they will be administered at sites arranged by the Department of Health and with primary care physicians who have been approved by the Department of Health.
The vaccine will be given in two doses; the first dose will be given next week and for those people the second dose will be given three weeks later. The rollout of the vaccine will proceed along those lines: the first dose, then the second dose administered three weeks later. For the vaccine to be fully effective, two doses are required.
The vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech has been approved for use in the UK after meeting strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the independent Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which follows international standards of safety. The vaccine has also been approved for use in the United States by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Thousands of people have been given a COVID-19 vaccine so far, and no serious side effects or complications have been reported.
Earlier today, the Ministry of Health held a mock vaccination trial exercise at the Hamilton Seventh Day Adventist Church.
This was a small exercise designed to provide an opportunity for the Department of Health and relevant partners to assess our ability to document vaccine administration events using the 10 to 8 appointment system and the electronic immunization registry. The drill was limited to the simulated movement of patients through the vaccination process.
We will have post-exercise debriefings tomorrow to evaluate the exercise and determine what tweaks and improvement are necessary.
Regarding returning residents, the Ministry of Health would like to remind the public that, per Quarantine (COVID-19) (No 3) Order 2020, travellers landing in Bermuda without a pre-arrival test will be charged $300 at the airport. There are no refunds, so you are advised to plan ahead and, carefully consider if you should be travelling at all.
The Government's policy has not changed in this regard; we encourage residents to be tested before returning and have your test results with you on arrival to avoid the $300 fee.
If you are using the Costco/AZOVA Health test, I ask everyone to read the company’s testing procedures very carefully. The BTA has a handy outline of the process on its website, gotobermuda.com, with links to the Costo site. Your options are to purchase a test kit voucher from Costco.com and have the kit shipped to your overseas accommodation, or purchase the test kit from select Costco pharmacy locations but only after doing an online health assessment. The tests, which cost $139.99 online, are saliva tests that should deliver results within the new five-day turn-around period. Costco membership is not required.
I know the BTA is working with Costco and its partner AZOVA Health to address current teething issues and to provide additional information about the process, as this is a useful and welcome option for travellers to have.
As people are returning to the workplace after the holidays, I want to take this opportunity to remind employers that you are responsible for providing your employees with factual information from health officials and assuring that ‘return to work after travel guidance’ is adhered to, as outlined at www.gov.bm/coronavirus-workplace .
Over 20% of the cases that we had in last month’s outbreaks were workplace outbreaks and transmission. This reveals that workplace standards are often not rigorous enough as employees relax around co-workers. Also, some people return to work too early after travel or even when experiencing symptoms. The Government’s position and guidance remains that persons should work remotely when reasonably practicable. Diligence is needed as cases continue to rise overseas. Through public health officials, we can help to prepare and educate employees without causing unwarranted concern.
Likewise, I would like to remind the general public that we must not become complacent and let our guard down. As I have said repeatedly, we must, as a community, follow the public health guidance and measures put in place to stop the spread of the pandemic. We cannot be irresponsible about COVID-19 – a virus that is so easily transmissible. Wear your mask, wash your hands frequently and properly, use hand sanitiser, practice physical distancing, and avoid the 3-C's;
- closed spaces with poor ventilation,
- crowded places with many people nearby
- and close-contact settings such as close-range conversations – six feet must be maintained at all times, including while greeting others.
It goes without saying, that the health and wellbeing of our community is our main priority, and we are working hard to protect you . . . But we need your help. Contract tracing is a fundamental part of outbreak control that's used by public health professionals around the world to prevent the spread of infections.
Contact tracing is used to find people who may have been exposed to an infectious disease. If a person tests positive for coronavirus, a public health officer would speak to the patient to identify anyone who has had close contact with them during the time they are considered to be infectious.
Our contact tracers are working tirelessly to protect Bermuda from the spread of the coronavirus. But some people in our community, when contacted by a contact tracer, are not cooperating.
Please, I cannot stress this enough, if you are contacted by a contact tracer, fully cooperate with them. This whole process is completely anonymous – they will protect your privacy. Your cooperation will protect the health and wellbeing of our community. Not cooperating could lead to further spreading of the coronavirus, which could shut down our entire economy.
And if you have not already, download the WeHealth app. It is an anonymous contact tracing tool.
In closing, I would like to remind the public about the Community Mental Wellbeing Hotline availability – 543-1111. The line is open Monday to Saturday, 5-9pm.
The wellness hotline is for:
- those who are feeling anxious;
- people who may be stressed while taking care of loved ones;
- seniors who may feel isolated;
- people who are having a hard time with the isolation;
- and those caring for their loved ones who want to chat.
Those are just a few examples, and if you need the support, call them, or if someone you know can benefit from this support, please give them the number. 543-1111.
This support is free of charge to the public as funding has been made available through the Bermuda Foundation with support from the Health Innovation Fund.
Bermuda, stay informed on the all of the latest developments about COVID-19 by regularly visiting the Government of Bermuda's website coronavirus.gov.bm.
Finally… stay safe, Bermuda, and, remember, I wear a mask to protect you; you wear a mask to protect me