‘Scale Of Outbreak Has Stretched Resources’

September 20, 2021

Community testing will be “scaled back” to focus testing resources to end this outbreak, there is an effort underway to “source relief staff from other jurisdictions to ease the demands on our nursing staff” as “our principal concern is the healthcare system and especially the hospital” as “the scale of this outbreak has stretched their resources,” the Government said.

They also added that “for destinations that accept rapid antigen tests for outbound tests [all flights except flights to Boston and Canada] the Ministry of Health will transition to these tests for outbound flights later this week.”

This follows after the hospital moved to “Disaster Alert Level 4″ — which is the highest level — due to the high number of Covid-19 patients in hospital, stating that “our staffing levels are being taxed, and we are having to cease all services that are not emergencies or critically urgent until further notice.”

In addition, the Government previously advised they are “launching a new automated process for notifying Covid positive patients and named close contacts,” which will replace a “manual process of phone calls and emails that the contact tracing team was using.”

Worst Week Since Pandemic Started

These statements —  a clear sign of the strain our healthcare system is under — come at the end of a week that has been, by far, the worst week since the pandemic began, with the highest active cases, most cases in one day, most people in hospital, most people in ICU, and most sadly, the most deaths in one week, with seven deaths announced since last week Monday.

“MDL Has Processed An Extraordinary Amount Of Tests”

A Government spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory [MDL] has processed an extraordinary amount of tests over the past 2 weeks. The team has worked tirelessly, around the clock to get results out as quickly as they can. However, the increasing number of positive results have led to delays, as they require further verification before issuance.

“MDL has now completed testing for all of Friday’s samples and will expect to have the results from Saturday’s testing complete this evening. The Government thanks the staff at MDL, the staff at the private labs, and all of the testing teams who have also had to manage increased demand for testing over the last few weeks.

“Community Testing Will Be Scaled Back”

“Bermuda does not have a shortage of testing supplies, but to be sure that we can maintain the reliability of our testing regime, community testing will be scaled back to enable the timely reporting of results.

 ”Asymptomatic Casual Contacts And Safekey Testing Will Be De-Prioritised”

“Priority for testing will be testing at the border, symptomatic cases & close contacts, exit from quarantine testing, and vulnerable/essential population surveillance [rest homes, students, prisons, healthcare workers]. Asymptomatic casual contacts and SafeKey testing will be de-prioritised for the next 2 weeks as we aim to focus our testing resources on the testing required to end this outbreak.

 ”Will Transition To These Tests”

“To reduce the number of tests that go to MDL, for destinations that accept rapid antigen tests for outbound tests [all flights except flights to Boston and Canada] the Ministry of Health will transition to these tests for outbound flights later this week. Further details will be announced in the coming days.”

Build In Desperately Needed Redundancy So That Its 24hr Operation Can Be Sustained”

Premier David Burt said, “The sheer number of positive results is compliments of our aggressive testing regime. In some countries close contacts, especially in household settings, are not tested. We aim to test as widely as possible because we want everyone to know their status and have the ability to protect others or themselves.

“The amount of testing we have done has taxed the MDL Lab significantly and so we have worked this last week to build in desperately needed redundancy so that its 24hr operation can be sustained. We have a reliable and professional testing regime, and it remains a critical part of pandemic management.”

“My Office Is Coordinating An Effort To Source Relief Staff”

The Premier added, “Right now our principal concern is the healthcare system and especially the hospital. The scale of this outbreak has stretched their resources and the key to allowing them to continue to provide the standard of care necessary for the sick is to provide needed relief for the staff.

“My office is coordinating an effort to source relief staff from other jurisdictions to ease the demands on our nursing staff in particular. This journey will be long for some patients battling the coronavirus and not only must we be concerned about their care, but the hospital must also be able to attend to the acute care needs of others.”

How Can You Help?

The Bermuda Hospitals Board previously said, “We are pleading with the community to follow all public health guidance, wear masks at all times inside and outside if within 6 feet of others. Avoid crowds and enclosed spaces. Get vaccinated, please. It is the best defence against serious disease and death.

“We also ask people to take medically fit for discharge family members home. With the hospital under tremendous pressure, we need the staffing and the space for the new admitted patients, both Covid and non-Covid related.”

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You can find more information on the links below from our dedicated website BermudaCovid.com, which is the most comprehensive resource and historic record available of Bermuda’s handling of the pandemic.

  • All Charts: Vaccine, testing & more here
  • Timelines: Dates of major developments here
  • Test results: Chart of testing stats here
  • Vaccine: Data covering vaccinations here
  • Dedicated website: BermudaCovid.com

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Comments (8)

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  1. trufth says:

    LESS testing = LESS positives.

    • lets move on says:

      It’s not about “hiding positives”, it is about being practical in how we need to be allocating our resources.

      The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decreed that fully vaccinated people should not be tested for the coronavirus in the absence of symptoms. That’s because immunity works. Mounting evidence has demonstrated an extremely low risk of asymptomatic transmission by vaccinated people.

      But despite this guideline, testing vaccinated people with no symptoms is a bandwagon that cannot seem to be stopped. Employers, entertainment venues, schools, airlines, local governments and even hospitals are adopting universal testing policies regardless of vaccination status. This results in asymptomatic immune people testing positive even though they pose no substantive public health threat.

      • Joe Bloggs says:

        Comparing the American experience with that of Bermuda or Canada or Britain is unfair.

        In America, every COVID-19 test makes a private hospital and a private laboratory a profit. In Bermuda, Britain and Canada every COVID-19 test simply puts a strain on already underfunded Government health facilities.

  2. lets says:

    these deaths are avoidable. 95-99% of deaths are attributable to people not getting vaccinated. this horrible situation in our hospital was avoidable, which is why this situation is so incredibly depressing. people are selfish, it is sad.

    sick of it

  3. Common Sense says:

    All medical decisions should be made after balancing the pros and the cons. The case for vaccinating “vulnerable” is massively inn favour of the jab. I find it amazing that all ‘vulnerable’ in Bermuda people have not taken advantage of the vaccine. It would have saved many unnecessary deaths caused by Covid and more to come. It would have caused the hospital to function more normally, instead of being overloaded with ill Covid patients.
    The case for vaccinating younger non vulnerable adults is much less compelling. They are much less likely to die, although this does happen. Long Covid is not something to be discounted, and Covid (the disease) is much more likely to give some nasty surprises in the future than the vaccine which has proved it’s safety profile after billions of people have had it

  4. Me says:

    All unvaccinated folks should have to pay out of pocket for
    The expenses for hospital care ,That they could have easily avoided for free

  5. Loquat tree says:

    Why are we all subsidizing those who are medically safe to leave hospital, taking beds from the seriously ill and covid patients?
    There should be a high weekly or monthly charge for such a ‘babysitting service’, where those persons have living relatives, particularly if they are working or own property IMO. This is absolutely disgraceful!
    If it was the same price as a high rated private senior home, you can bet they’d soon be found a place!