“Sadly, Bermuda has experienced another death of someone who was COVID positive,” said Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP. “I extend sincere condolences and prayers for support to the family and friends of the deceased during this difficult time.”

The Ministry of Health received 10,984 test results since the last update, and 225 were positive for the coronavirus, giving Bermuda a test positivity rate of 2.0%. 

These results are from testing done on:

·         Thursday, September 2: 53 positive out of 3101 results (1.7% positivity)

·         Friday, September 3: 93 positive out of 3366 results (2.8% positivity)

·         Saturday, September 4: 56 positive out of 2373 results (2.4% positivity)

·         Sunday, September 5: 23 positive out of 2144 results (1.1% positivity)

25 of the new cases are classified as imported with history of travel in the previous 14 days, with details as follows:

·         1 resident who arrived via Delta Airline DL 617 from New York on 20 August  and tested positive on their day 14 test

·         1 resident who arrived via Air Canada AC 942 from Toronto on 20 August  and tested positive on their day 14 test

·         1 resident who arrived via British Airways BA 159 from London on 20 August  and tested positive on their day 14 test

·         2 residents who arrived via American Airlines AA 1863 from Charlotte on 22 August  and tested positive on their day 14 test

·         2 residents who arrived via American Airlines AA 1863 from Charlotte on 23 August  and tested positive on their day 10 test

·         1 resident who arrived via Delta Airline DL 617 from New York on 23 August  and tested positive on their day 10 test

·         1 resident who arrived via Jet Blue B61731 from New York on 24 August  and tested positive on their day 10 test

·         1 resident who arrived via British Airways BA 159 from London on 24 August  and tested positive on their day 10 test

·         1 resident who arrived via Delta Airline DL 584 from Atlanta on 26 August  and tested positive on their day 10 test

·         1 resident who arrived via American Airlines AA 1863 from Charlotte on 30 August  and tested positive on their day 4 test

·         1 resident and 1 non-resident who arrived via Jet Blue B6203 from Boston on 30 August and tested positive on their day 4 test

·         1 resident who arrived via British Airways BA 159 from London on 31 August  and tested positive on their day 4 test

·         1 resident and 2 non-residents who arrived via Jet Blue B6203 from Boston on 3 September and tested positive on their arrival test

·         1 resident who arrived via British Airways BA 159 from London on 3 September  and tested positive on their arrival test

·         1 resident who arrived via United Airlines UA 1985 from Newark on 3 September  and tested positive on their arrival test

·         2 residents who arrived via Jet Blue B61731 from New York on 4 September and tested positive on their arrival test

·         2 residents who arrived via British Airways BA 159 from London on 5 September  and tested positive on their arrival test

·         1 resident who arrived via Delta Airline DL 584 from Atlanta on 5 September  and tested positive on their arrival test

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

The additional 132 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.

Additionally, since the last update, there were 42 recoveries and 1 death.

There are 472 active cases, of which:

·         462 are under public health monitoring and

·         10 are in hospital with 2 in intensive care

Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 3273 confirmed coronavirus cases, out of which 2766 have recovered, and sadly 35 COVID related deaths.

The source of all active cases is as follows:

·         62 are Imported

·         173 are classified as local transmission of which:

·         173 are Local transmission with known contact/source and 

·         0 are Local transmission with an unknown contact/source

·         237 are Under Investigation

Active cases by vaccination status, transmission, and type:

·         Imported cases: 47 (76%) are fully vaccinated and 15 (24%) are not vaccinated, 

·         Local/Under Investigation cases: 103 (25%) are fully vaccinated and 307 (75%) are not vaccinated

·         Hospitalised cases: 0 (0%) are fully vaccinated and 12 (100%) are not vaccinated

·         0 are Alpha, 0 are Beta, 88 (19%) are Delta, 0 are Gamma, 0 are wildtype, 16 (3%) are not able to be determined and 368 (78%) are not available

The source of all confirmed cases is as follows:

·         495 are Imported

·         2513 are classified as local transmission of which:

·         2005 are Local transmission with known contact/source and 

·         508 are Local transmission with an unknown contact/source

·         265 are Under Investigation

As investigations proceed, transmission categories may change. For information regarding age distributions and overall transmission categories, please refer to https://www.gov.bm/coronavirus-covid19-update.

The seven-day average of our real-time reproduction number is above 1. Local data indicates that Bermuda currently meets the criteria for Community Transmission.  Community transmission is characterised by an increased incidence of locally acquired, widely dispersed cases, with many of the cases not linked to specific clusters.

We have completed week 34 of vaccinations. Since January 11th, Bermuda has administered a total of 85,914 vaccinations.

Of the 85,914 vaccinations given as of September 4:

·         52% are women and,

·         48% are men

83.5% of all residents over the age of 65 years have had at least one vaccination and 82.3% are fully immunised.

To date, 67.1% of the population has been vaccinated (1 dose), and 65.8% of the population has been immunised (2 doses).

“As I have said on many occasions, the vaccine against Covid-19 is one of the single most important measures to keep our community safe,” said Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP.

“There is a pop-up vaccine clinic at Lindo’s in Devonshire on Thursday, September 16, 3 – 7 pm. The vaccine clinic at the King Edward Memorial Hospital is open for appointments and walk-ins, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 pm – 7 pm, and Saturdays from 8 am – 4 pm.”

“We are in the midst of a growing outbreak, and the number of positive cases is alarming. It is essential that residents remember the basics,” said Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP. 

“Many cases have come from persons who were not feeling well and went to work or a social function; if you feel unwell, please stay at home. Residents are attending gatherings where simple things like sanitising hands before touching common serving utensils are not being done, which can lead to entire families being infected. In Bermuda, complacency is our enemy when it comes to the Delta variant, so I must urge all residents to remember the basics that we have been doing for the last 18 months and do what is necessary to keep them and their family safe.”

“I will also remind businesses and their patrons that while a Safekey is not required to be in outdoor settings, unless under a large group exception, masks should be worn outdoors if physical distancing is not possible. We have had outbreaks that occurred in crowded outdoor settings where people were not wearing masks. This variant is extremely contagious, and residents should adjust their behaviour to minimise the risk of contracting the coronavirus.”

“A large volume of COVID-19 testing for Safekeys has led to the identification of numerous positive cases. I encourage residents to take advantage of the free testing available at Penno’s Wharf, Bulls Head parking lot, and the old AS Cooper shop in the Clocktower Mall in Dockyard to know their coronavirus status. Due to the large volume of testing of close contacts, the Bull’s Head testing site is not currently accepting walk-ins; however, there are appointments available for testing every day this week at the other testing locations, and residents should book appointments. If you cannot get an appointment on the day you wish, there are private testing options that are available locally.”

“Because of the current volume of coronavirus testing on the island, the public is advised to please be patient while waiting to receive your test result,” said Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP.  “The PCR COVID-19 test result turnaround time is expected to be a minimum of 24 hours, though results may take longer. If you have not received a negative test result by email in 36 hours, please contact your doctor as they may have been sent your positive test result. As a reminder, if you are feeling unwell, please do not leave home until you receive a negative test result.”

“Over the next few days, the Ministry of Health will be prioritising our testing resources to support the Ministry of Education’s desire to resume in-person learning where possible. Testing is essential to support the safe return to school, and I join the Minister of Education in urging all parents to ensure their students are tested.”

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. 

Never forget to avoid the 3Cs: closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings.