Grand Cayman – At 8a.m. on Tuesday, 16 November Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee reported that 4,004 PCR tests had been conducted since 8a.m. on Friday, 12 November. 

The Public Health Department reported 714 positive results from these tests, with 40 in travellers and 674 from the community, for an average of 179 new cases per day between Friday, 12 November through Monday, 15 November. 

These results brought the number of active cases of COVID-19 in the Cayman Islands to 3,340 as at 8a.m. on Tuesday, 16 November. The total number of cases recorded since the start of the pandemic stood at 4,917 as at the same time. 

Up to that point, 3,956 people in the Cayman Islands were in isolation either in Government isolation facilities or at home.

The Public Health department also confirmed that up to 8a.m. on Tuesday, 16 November there had been 1,320 total positive lateral flow tests since the introduction of the lateral flow test programme in the Cayman Islands, which are included in the total positive numbers given above.

As of 8a.m. on Tuesday, 16 November, Faith Hospital confirmed there were 60 active cases in the Sister Islands, with eight identifiedsince last reported. 

To date, there had been 105 total cases recorded in the Sister Islands, with 45 having recovered. Out of the total number of cases in the Sister Islands, 55 were fully vaccinated, six were partially vaccinated, and 44 were unvaccinated. 

There were 21 COVID-19 patients hospitalised in the Cayman Islands at 8a.m. on Tuesday, 12 November.

Two COVID-19 positive patients passed away between 8am on Friday, 12 November and 8am on Tuesday, 16 November.

Both deaths are considered COVID-19 related, as COVID-19 is listed as a contributory factor for the cause of death.

According to guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), a death due to COVID-19 is defined for surveillance purposes as “a death resulting from a clinically compatible illness, in a probable or confirmed COVID-19 case, unless there is a clear alternative cause of death that cannot be related to COVID disease (e.g., trauma).”

The WHO guidelines further stipulate that, “A death due to COVID-19 may not be attributed to another disease (e.g., cancer) and should be counted independently of preexisting conditions that are suspected of triggering a severe course of COVID-19.”

The WHO COVID-19 death reporting guidelines can be found in full athttps://www.who.int/classifications/icd/Guidelines_Cause_of_Death_COVID-19.pdf

Dr. Lee explained the cause of death reporting requirements in COVID-19 cases while appearing on Radio Cayman’s ‘Talk Today’ programme on Tuesday, 16 November.

He noted that death certificates list all contributory factors to a person’s death.

He further explained that if COVID-19 is completely unrelated to the death, it will not be listed as a cause or contributing factor. He gave an example of this as, if someone dies in a car accident, and it is later discovered that the person was COVID -19 positive. In that case, the death would not be listed as a COVID-19 related death, as the infection played no role in the person’s death.

He said of the local deaths over the weekend that, “In both of these cases, the people had a lot of other medical problems and were very sick and, in both cases, it was not unexpected that they passed”.

Local vaccine clinics, which were closed from Thursday, 11 November through Saturday, 13 November due to depleted vaccine stocks, resumed on Tuesday, 16 November, following the delivery of new vaccine supplies on Friday, 12 November. 

The latest vaccination schedule can be found at https://www.hsa.ky/public-health/coronavirus/

(ENDS) 

COVID-19 RESOURCES

For further COVID-19 information and resources, visit www.gov.ky/coronavirus

Downloadable resources and guides are available at https://www.exploregov.ky/coronavirus-resources

For other help and hotlines, visit https://www.exploregov.ky/getting-assistance

For specific information on the national lateral flow test policy visit https://www.exploregov.ky/lft-policy; and to report positive lateral flow test results go to www.exploregov.ky/report-covid19-result

An Isolation Support Line is available to help by delivering groceries or other essential supplies for people required to isolate suddenly, and who do not have other resources and support. Contact Isolation Support at 946-3530, 1-800-534-3530 or email [email protected]

Operational hours 9a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 9a.m. – 1p.m. on Saturday.

For mental health support, the Mental Health Helpline can be reached on 1-800-534-6463(MIND) from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

If you have flu symptoms contact the 24-hour Flu Hotline at 1-800-534-8600, 345-947-3077 or by email to [email protected].

If you are having difficulty breathing, please call 911.