Health structure crumbling as COVID-19 increases in Bahamas

As the cases of Omicron variant surges, the Bahamas minister of health and wellness, Dr Michael Darville, informed that the island at present is witnessing the fourth wave of the Covid19 outbreak.

The new COVID variant is considered the reason behind the wave by health authorities of the Bahamas.

Prime Minister Philip Davis led the administration to not stricter the COVID 19 protocols and guidelines just like Minnis administration did, as it believes that the Bahamas can rise above the challenges outlined by the health minister.

He asserted, “We are definitely in the fourth wave and our job now as the Ministry of Health is to begin now to prevent that aggressive exponential growth because you must remember that waves don’t last forever. How we handle the wave will determine how our end outcome will be”.

The third wave had a devastating consequence on the island’s health sector, leaving the hospital facilities on the brink of collapse.

Although, the health minister assured it would not happen again while urging the general public to stay safe by following guidelines and getting themselves immunised against the deadliest virus.

In addition, several hospitals have stopped elective surgeries as the number of COVID patients rises, including the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).

Only the gynaecology, orthopaedic, fracture and hand clinics will deal with the patients in the face; the rest of the speciality clinic cases will conduct virtual appointments.

COVID 19 cases in the Bahamas –

The statistics show that the island reported a total of 23,539 confirmed cases of the ‘covid19 mutant. In total, 713 individuals lost their lives to the deadliest coronavirus.

This fourth wave is undoubtedly a threat and will affect the island’s tourism sector. The Bahamian government needs to ensure the safety of visitors arriving on the island for holidays and as well as of the general public.

On the other hand, the vaccination data shows 157, 041 persons received atleast their first doses of the vaccine, whereas 147,635 individuals are fully vaccinated, which counts for 37.5% of the Islands’ total population.