Grand Cayman, 10 December 2021 – Chief Nursing Officer Dr. Hazel Brown today issued a weekly video update from the Public Health Department on trends observed in COVID-19 data over the prior week.

            The weekly trends data is being reported by “epidemiological week” which runs from Sunday to the following Saturday and is commonly referred to as an epi week or a CDC week. It is a standardised method of counting weeks to allow for the comparison of data.

Dr. Brown said that for the week of 28 November to 4 December there were 557 new cases of COVID-19 with a daily average of 80.

Overall, 58 percent of the cases were female, and 42 percent male.

The ages of positive cases ranged from 18 days to 91 years, with an average age of 31 years.

Dr. Brown said, “Ten cases were under the age of one-year-old. One hundred and seventy-one cases were under the age of 18 and 8 over the age of 70; however, we have seen one neonate testing positive this week.”
           Most cases are still in the workforce.

           Of the week’s new positives, Dr. Brown said, 34 percent were fully vaccinated, two percent had one shot, and 64 percent are unvaccinated.
           Dr. Brown also reported on the number of hospital admissions within the last week. She stated, “There have been four new admissions, 11 discharges and a total of 23 persons under inpatient care. The four new admissions were all for COVID-19.”
The age range for the new admissions is eighteen days to 93 years with an average age of 56 years. 
            Ninety-five percent of the admissions were unvaccinated and five percent were fully vaccinated.

           Dr. Brown closed by imploring the people of the Cayman Islands to remain safe, especially through the holidays. She said, “We must continue to practice all measures to reduce transmission and protect our families and community during the festive season and beyond. Wear a mask, wash your hands, practice physical distancing, get vaccinated if you are eligible and isolate if you are experiencing any symptoms.”

Vaccination clinics will continue as advertised on the HSA and government websites and social media channels.

Dr. Brown’s full video may be viewed athttps://youtu.be/ru-bAv4K4TI.