Good Day, 

There were 1187 test results received by the Ministry of Health since the last update and eight were positive for COVID-19. 

Three of the new cases are classified as local transmission with known contact/source as associated with known cases/clusters.

The remaining new cases are classified as under investigation. These cases are among residents with no currently identified links to other known cases or clusters or history of travel in the past 14 days.

Additionally, 17 cases have recovered since the last update.

Bermuda now has 561 total confirmed positive cases. Their status is as follows.

• There are 214 active cases, of which
• 211 are under public health monitoring and
• 3 are hospitalized with none in critical care;
• a total of 338 have recovered, and
• the total deceased remains 9.

The mean age of all confirmed positive cases is 43 years (median: 39 years) and the age range is less than 1 year to greater than 100 years.

The mean age of all currently active cases is 38 years (median: 33 years) and the age range is less than 5 years (age group: 1-4 years) to greater than 80 years (age group: 80-100 years).

To protect privacy and confidentiality, the average age and age range of the hospitalized cases will not be provided.

The mean age of all deceased cases is 74 years (median: 74 years) and the age range is less than 60 years (age group: 50-59 years) to greater than 80 years (age group: 80-100 years).

The source of all cases is as follows:

• 148 are Imported
• 330 are classified as local transmission of which:
• 308 are Local transmission, with known contact/source and
• 22 are Local transmission with an unknown contact/source
• 83 are Under Investigation

As investigations proceed, transmission categories may change. 

The seven-day average of our real time reproduction number is less than 1 (0.64) and Bermuda’s current country status is “Clusters of Cases”.

The Minister of Health the Hon. Kim Wilson JP MP said, "On this Christmas Eve, I want to wish all residents a healthy and happy Christmas. May you enjoy this cozier, quieter Christmas and find joy in time spent with your nearest and dearest. For those of you who won't be spending the Holidays with certain loved ones this year because of COVID-19, may you find ways to still connect over the holidays - whether it be via Skype, Zoom or a simple telephone call. And please everyone, consider the elderly during the holiday season which can be quite a lonely time for many of our seniors. This is especially important to remember this year as many seniors are already feeling isolated as a result of our efforts to protect them from this virus. Let's keep everyone safe, but nobody should feel alone at Christmas. We may not be able to be with them in person, but a telephone call can make all the difference to someone's mental wellbeing.

"Finally, if there was one plea I could make on this Christmas Eve, it is this: Do NOT mix households during the holidays. I have been saying for months that we must keep our social bubbles smalls - but this is particularly crucial to repeat right now for two reasons - firstly, because of the recent spike in cases and secondly, because the temptation to socialize with others will be greater than ever. We must resist the urge to celebrate with large groups of family and friends. Do not gather in groups greater than ten; do not visit vulnerable persons outside of your household - particularly if you have recently returned from travel abroad; wear your mask when spending time with anyone outside of your household; practice physical distancing;and abide by the curfew. Be smart and safe Bermuda.

"Let's aim to start 2021 off with no new cases come January 1."