“I am sad to report tonight that we have another coronavirus related death,” said Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP. “I extend sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.”

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 4169 test results, and 128 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 3.1%.

These results are from testing done on:

§  Sunday: 29 positive out of 1184 results (2.4% positivity)

§  Monday: 57 positive out of 1575 results (3.6% positivity)

§  Tuesday: 42 positive out of 1410 results (3.2% positivity)

20 of the new cases are classified as imported with a history of travel in the previous 14 days.

The additional 108 new cases are classified as either local transmission (50) or under investigation (58). 

Additionally, there were 581 recoveries.

There are 471 active cases, of which:

·453 are under public health monitoring; and

·18 are in hospital, with 3 in intensive care.

Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 10921 coronavirus cases, out of which 10332 have recovered, and sadly there have been 118 coronavirus-related deaths.

The source of all active cases is as follows:

·43 are Imported

·156 are classified as local transmission

·272 are Under Investigation

Information regarding active cases by vaccination status, transmission, and type is unavailable.

The source of all confirmed cases is as follows:

·2191 are Imported

·6601 are classified as local transmission of which:

o   3919 are Local transmission with known contact/source and

o   2682 are Local transmission with an unknown contact/source

·2129 are Under Investigation

As investigations proceed, transmission categories may change. For 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 0.63.

Since January 11th, 2021, Bermuda residents have received a total of 121,792 vaccinations.

Of the 121,792 vaccinations given as of January 29th, 2022:

·52% are women and,

·48% are men

87.1% of all residents over the age of 65 years have had at least one vaccination, and 85.8% are fully immunized.

To date, 73.0% of the population has been vaccinated (1 dose), and 71.7% of the population has been immunized (2 doses).

Additionally, 67.1% of those eligible for a booster have received their booster.

“First, second and booster doses will continue to be available at Pier 6 until March 31st either by appointment or for walk-ins,” advised Minister Wilson. “After March 31^st, we are working to have the COVID19 vaccine available through physicians’ offices, as well as participating pharmacies.

“COVID-19 vaccinations are also available at the Hamilton Health Centre, 67 Victoria Street, every Tuesday from 2 – 4 pm. There is a limited number of appointments, and these vaccinations are by appointment only, with no walk-ins. You can get your 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd dose. Call 332-8906 for assistance in scheduling an appointment, or you can book online at www.gov.bm/vaccines.

“I encourage anyone who wants to get vaccinated to do so quickly. As well, I would like to remind people that proper ventilation is one of the leading mitigation methods for reducing the risk of the coronavirus transmission within buildings. We should all increase fresh air ventilation wherever possible when indoors. The risk is much less if outside.

“If you are planning any type of gathering, try to do it outside or if indoors, with all windows and doors open to allow fresh air to pass through. In a workplace check the ventilation system has been evaluated and optimized for Covid. In a shared vehicle, keep all windows open.

“We must keep doing our part to keep each other safe and to help stop the spread of the coronavirus,” concluded Minister Wilson. “As always, to decrease the odds of getting the coronavirus, avoid the three “Cs”: closed spaces, crowded places and close contact settings. Follow Public Health guidelines, wear a mask, practice good hand hygiene, and maintain physical distance.”