Video: Govt Press Conference On Covid-19

[Updated] Health Minister Kim Wilson, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ayoola Oyinloye, and Bermuda Hospitals Board Chief of Staff Dr. Wesley Miller will be holding a press conference this afternoon [Jan 27] to update the public on Covid-19 and the live video below should start at around 3.00pm.

Update: The live broadcast has concluded and the replay is below

Update 7.08pm: Minister of Health Kim Wilson’s remarks:

Good afternoon.

I begin my remarks today by reporting that since our update on Monday, Bermuda has another two Covid-19 related deaths.

I extend sincere condolences to the family and friends who recently lost a loved one in circumstances related to this coronavirus. You are in our thoughts and prayers.

This omicron variant continues to take a toll on our community. It spreads quickly and we have quite a number of active cases, primarily through community transmission.

There were 4174 test results received by the Ministry of Health since the last update and 290 were positive for Covid-19.

These results are from testing done on:

• Sunday: 39 positive out of 998 results [3.9% positivity]
• Monday: 156 positive out of 1859 results [8.5% positivity]
• Tuesday: 95 positive out of 1317 results [7.2% positivity]

32 of the new cases are classified as imported with history of travel in the previous 14 days.

The additional 258 new cases are classified as either local transmission [98] or under investigation [160].

Additionally, there were 603 recoveries.

There are 1404 active cases, of which:

• 1397 are under public health monitoring; and
• 7 are in hospital, with 2 in intensive care.

From January 11, 2021, when Bermuda’s vaccine campaign began, to January 22, 2022 Bermuda has experienced:

337 Covid-related hospitalisations [including repeat admissions] of which:

• 284 or 84% were persons who were not fully vaccinated, and,
• 53 or 16% were fully vaccinated.

In addition, since we began our vaccination programme on January 11 last year, we have had 101 deaths, of which:

• 86 or 85% were persons who were not fully vaccinated, and,
• 15 or 15% were fully vaccinated.

Sadly, the total number of deaths related to this coronavirus illness is 116.

I will now provide an update on our vaccination programme.

Since January 11, 2021, Bermuda residents have received a total of 120,535 vaccinations.

Of the 120,535 vaccinations given as of January 22, 2022:

• 52% are women and,
• 48% are men

87.1% of all residents over the age of 65 years have had at least one vaccination and 85.8% are fully immunized.

To date, 72.9% of the population has been vaccinated [1 dose], and 71.6% of the population has been immunized [2 doses].

Additionally, 64.8% of those eligible for a booster have received their booster.

As a reminder, vaccine booster appointments are available for Bermuda residents 12 and older who had their second dose more than 6 months ago.

• For those 65 years and older it is by appointment or walk-in at Pier 6.
• For those between 12 and 64 years it is by appointment only.

I encourage anyone who wants to get vaccinated to register their interest on gov.bm/vaccines.

And if you are eligible for your booster, please get it. Studies released by the CDC show the booster provides improved protection against severe illness and hospitalization due to Covid19.

Please note, that we are not currently administering 4th doses or second boosters.

Before I end my remarks, I want to remind everyone that if you test positive on a Covid-19 test [whether self-administered or supervised antigen or a PCR test], by law, you must isolate immediately.

If you are immunised [more than 2 weeks since 2nd dose]

• 1. Isolate for 7 days; the date of your positive test sample is day zero
• 2. Book a supervised antigen test appointment for Day 7
• 3. If you have no symptoms and the Day 7 test is negative, end isolation and follow public health guidance
• 4. If you have symptoms, contact Covid19casemanagement@gov.bm for guidance

If you are not immunised or have never been vaccinated

• 1. Isolate for 10 days, from the date of your positive test sample
• 2. Book a supervised antigen test appointment for Day 10
• 3. If you have no symptoms and the Day 10 test is negative, end isolation and follow public health guidance
• 4. If you have symptoms, contact Covid19casemanagement@gov.bm for guidance

To be clear, for those who are close contacts but not actually positive for Covid-19, the quarantine requirements are as follows:

• If you are immunized and boosted within 6 months, no quarantine is required but we recommend, at a minimum, you take a self-administered antigen test on day 7 – not a verified antigen test as previously reported – and also do daily antigen tests for selfmonitoring and follow public health guidance;

• If you are immunized but not boosted, you must quarantine for 7 days and take a verified antigen test on day 7; and,

• If you are not immunized or vaccinated you must quarantine for 10 days and take a verified antigen test on day 10.

As a reminder, a complete list of approved antigen tests can be found on the Bermuda Health Council website, bhec.bm/approved-antigen-test. The listed tests have met the required standards for validation of the identified regulatory bodies.

Do not hesitate to contact your doctor for guidance regarding Covid-19, and if you do not have a doctor, the hospital has set up a phone number, 239-2009 to assist with information on the proper treatment for your symptoms.

With respect to the public health legislation, the Ministry of Health is currently conducting a review of the Public Health [Covid-19 Emergency Powers] [Phased Re-opening] Regulations 2021 with a view to making adjustments to take effect from February 4. We are assessing a number of metrics including our vaccination rate and the Covid-19 indicators for the current outbreak. Additionally, and importantly, we are taking into account the Government’s shift to living with Covid which requires all of us to take personal responsibility for our actions.

Not only is the Ministry reviewing the Emergency Powers Regulations, we are also reviewing the Quarantine [Covid-19] [No. 3] Order 2020. It is the Quarantine Order which establishes the traveller testing regime for air arrivals, cruise ship visitors and mariners. The aim is to re-set Bermuda’s travel requirements for April 1.

Finally, I want to assure the public that a plan for the transition of leadership for Bermuda Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory is already well developed. The Bermuda Health Council, assisted by the Ministry, has taken on this responsibility and we expect a smooth changeover next week. The staff at MDL is experienced and well-trained, and Dr Weldon is to be commended for her leadership to date and her assistance with this transition. More information regarding the new leadership will be announced very shortly.

In closing, I cannot stress enough how important it is for all of us to do our best to stay safe and healthy. We must look out for each other.

We must act responsibly and adhere to the public health guidelines. This current outbreak is not over, and to get through this, we must take responsibility for ourselves and others in our community.

Each of us has a role to play in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. Follow Public Health guidelines, wear a mask, practice good hand hygiene, and maintain physical distance.

Thank you

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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