Good day.

The Ministry of Health received 443 test results since the last update, and two were positive for COVID-19. The first new case is one resident who arrived on AA 308 from Miami on 20 February 2021 and tested positive on their day four test. The second new case is classified as local transmission with known contact as they are associated with a known case.

Additionally, since the last update, there were no recoveries.

There are currently 13 active cases, of which;

· 12 are under public health monitoring and;

·  One is in the hospital, with none in critical care.

Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 707 total confirmed cases of COVID-19; out of those, 682 persons have recovered, and 12 persons have sadly succumbed to COVID-19.

The mean age of all confirmed positive cases is 43 years (median: 40 years), and the ages range from less than one year to greater than 100 years.

The mean age of all currently active cases is 41 years (median: 36 years), and the ages range from less than 20 years (age group: 10-19 years) to greater than 70 years (age group: 70-79 years).

To protect privacy and confidentiality, age information will not be provided on the hospitalized case.

The mean age of all deceased cases is 75 years (median: 77 years), and the ages range from 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:

·         210 are imported

·         497 are classified as local transmission of which:

·         405 are local transmission with known contact/source and 

·         92 are local transmission with an unknown contact/source

·         None are under investigation

As investigations proceed, transmission categories may change.

Of the over 170,000 test results reported, the mean age of all persons tested is 43 years (median:  42 years), and the ages range from less than one year to greater than 100 years.

The seven-day average of our real time reproduction number is less than one, and Bermuda’s current country status remains “Sporadic Cases”.

The Ministry of Health cautions the public that there were a few social gatherings last weekend where there may have been a COVID-19 exposure. 

“We continue to recommend that people do not attend large gatherings. The pandemic is not over, and we must do everything we can to stop the spread. I strongly recommend that all persons who attended any social gatherings this past weekend to arrange to get tested as soon as possible,” advised Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP.

“The COVID-19 test is accurate for that point in time, so the sooner you get tested, the better to avoid exposing others if you are positive for the coronavirus. People should identify themselves to the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (ESU) team by calling call the COVID hotline on 444-2489 (option #1) if they believe they have been in contact with an exposed person, and quarantine for 14 days in the case of exposure to a positive case.”

“Please note that information shared with ESU is for public health action only and will not be shared with any other agencies.”

Anyone requiring COVID testing can book through gov.bm/coronavirus-get-tested. There will be no walk-ins at any of the testing sites, and starting next week, all the community testing sites will have the same operational hours from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.

Minister Wilson also urges residents and visitors to download the WeHealth app to help reduce the spread of the virus. “Downloading the WeHealth Bermuda app is an easy step but a significant one in helping control the spread of COVID-19 in Bermuda. All Bermudians and visitors to the island should download the app from the App Store or Google Play. WeHealth Bermuda is a free smartphone application that provides anonymous COVID-19 exposure notifications. It is one of the most sophisticated apps available anywhere in the world for helping to control the spread of COVID-19.” 

“We also wish to clarify that the restrictions on the Travellers’ First 14 Days have not been removed for immunized travellers as yet. The full Cabinet will meet on Tuesday to discuss the fine details of the requirements for immunized travellers. This will be announced at Tuesday’s press conference.”