Thank you Premier. Good afternoon.

There were 870 test results received by the Ministry of Health since the last update and 23 were positive for the coronavirus. This gives a test positivity rate of 2.6%. 

1 of the new cases is classified as imported with details as follows:

·         1 resident who arrived on Jet Blue B62879 from Boston on 3 April 2021 and tested positive on their Day 8 test

6 of the new cases are classified as local transmission with known contact as associated with known cases.

The additional 16 new cases are classified as under investigation. These cases are among residents with no currently identified link to other known cases or history of travel in the past 14 days.

There were 14 recoveries and 0 deaths.

Bermuda has 1935 total confirmed coronavirus cases. Their status is as follows.

There are 868 active cases, of which:

•       827 are under public health monitoring.

• a total of 1051 have recovered, and
• the total deceased remains at  16.

The seven-day average of our real time reproduction number is 1.11.

Before I move to the vaccination numbers, I will share the COVID-19 statistics on hospital admissions for today.

There are 43 persons who have COVID-19 in the hospital. There have been 4 new admissions and 5 discharges. 5 people are in ICU and 3 of them are intubated.

I will now provide an update on our vaccination statistics.

We have completed the thirteenth full week of vaccinations. From January 11 to April 10, 2021, Bermuda has administered a total of 45,761 vaccinations – a figure that rises to 46,935 if you include vaccinations administered on Sunday and Monday. This is very good news indeed.

Of the 45,761 vaccinations administered for the period we are reporting on, which ends April 10th;

• 54% are women, and,
• 46% are men.

Bermuda's goal of "herd immunity" will be achieved when 70% of the population (64,054) has been immunised. To date, 40% of the population has been vaccinated (with 1 dose), and 31% of the population has been immunised (with 2 doses).

To push forward and get close to this goal more quickly, the Ministry will be ramping up the vaccination programme at Bermuda College – as the Bermuda Hospitals Board has done already - with the aim of immunizing 62% of Bermuda’s population by Bermuda Day – 28 May 2021.

Starting this weekend, the Bermuda College Vaccination Centre will be open from 9am – 3pm on both Saturdays and Sundays when 250 – 300 doses of the vaccine will be administered each day. Then from 19 April, Monday to Friday, the Centre will be open from 8am to midnight, allowing an additional 250 people a day to be vaccinated. This is a great step forward for the country’s vaccination programme with 1,550 extra doses being administered weekly.

The Ministry team is ready to ramp up our vaccination programme but we need help. We are appealing to all the doctors in Bermuda to give us time. If every doctor in Bermuda takes one or two shifts on a weekday evening or during the day on Saturday or Sunday, we will succeed; Bermuda will succeed. As the Minister of Health, I am calling on the medical fraternity to make this commitment to our community. If you can help, please contact Dr Brett Lefkowitz at blefkowitz@gov.bm.

Bermuda Hospitals Board already increased its vaccination output this past weekend, extending its hours on Saturdays and expanding to Sundays as well. The BHB will focus on delivering an additional 750 vaccinations each week. It is anticipated with the increased vaccination capacity, we will be very close herd immunity by the end of May, instead of mid-June.

The simple message right now is, if you haven’t already, get vaccinated. There is no need to wait. There is no need to delay. Go online and put your name down to register. The process takes no more than two minutes. If you don’t have access to the online form, phone 444 2498 and register. We all have a role to play to keep our country safe.

I am excited about the possibility of Bermuda more quickly achieving herd immunity.  Getting vaccinated is something we can do for ourselves, our family and our community.  Just imagine: celebrating Bermuda Day with a small group of immunised family and friends!

I want to extend a sincere thank you to the physicians, EMTs, pharmacists, nurses, dentists and other allied professionals who have taken it upon themselves be a part of the vaccination process at the Vaccination Centre so far. We could not do it without them. Thanks also to Bermuda College for continuing to work with the Ministry of Health so we can implement these new hours, and to the Royal Bermuda Regiment for its continued and welcome support. I must also publicly recognize the men and women of the Ministry of Health who are a part of the vaccination programme. They have all worked tirelessly and long hours to ensure we can offer the vaccine to all who wish to be immunized.

I will now talk about the changes in the Ministry’s testing programme.

Since April 2020, the Ministry of Health has primarily used nasopharyngeal tests. The test sample is collected from both nostrils by a trained swabber.

The new testing protocols will allow three additional testing methods to be used:

·         Oropharyngeal test – the test sample is collected from the back of the throat by a trained swabber. This test is for those directed to get a test by a Healthcare professional. This test used on children and adults with a history of nasal problems.

·         The Nasal Mid-Turbinate test – the sample is collected from both nostrils, is self-administered and observed by a trained swabber. This test is for travelers and people who are concerned they may have been exposed to a confirmed case.

·         The Saliva test – the sample is self-administered and observed by a trained administrator. This test is for travelers and people who are concerned they may have been exposed to a confirmed case.

The additional testing protocols will enable the Ministry to use its staff more efficiently and thereby increase our capacity.

The testing will take place at the following locations:

Star of India and Penno’s Wharf are reserved for those who are concerned they may be positive for the coronavirus and for outbound travellers.

Bull’s Head is for those who have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus and for people who have COVID-19 symptoms.

Perrot Post Office is also for persons who have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus and people who have COVID-19 symptoms.

Anyone getting tested is reminded they should not eat, chew gum or smoke 30 minutes before taking the test.

Details of the new process are on the government website at coronavirus.gov.bm.

As I close, I remind you, we 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, maintain physical distance and download the WeHealth Bermuda app. If you haven’t already done so, register to get vaccinated because vaccination is the key to our freedom.

Thank you.