COVID-19 Daily Release 18 February 2021
Good day.
The Ministry of Health received 337 test results since the last update, and two were positive for COVID-19. The first new case is a non-resident who arrived on Delta DL 617 from New York on 12 February and tested positive on their day four test. The second new case is a non-resident who arrived on Jet Blue B62231 from New York on 12 February and tested positive on their day four test
Additionally, since the last update, there were no recoveries.
There are currently eight active cases, of which;
● Seven are under public health monitoring and;
● One is in the hospital, with none in critical care.
Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 699 total confirmed cases of COVID-19; out of those, 679 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 40 years (median: 35 years), and the ages range from less than 20 years (age group: 10-29 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 cases.
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:
● 205 are imported
● 493 are classified as local transmission of which:
● 402 are local transmission with known contact/source and
● 91 are local transmission with an unknown contact/source
● 1 is 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 is “Sporadic Cases”.
During a recent analysis of the vaccination data, the Ministry of Health discovered that some persons had received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine earlier than the 21 day requirement. These individuals have been contacted by the Vaccination Centres, and a third vaccine will be offered to them 21 days after the second dose.
According to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ayoola Oyinloye, 34 people who received the vaccine in Phase 1 have been identified and will be given a third dose of the vaccine. The vaccine guidance is that for full immunity, both doses must be administered at least 21 days apart to be effective. Any vaccine administered in less than 21 days may not provide immunity from the COVID-19 virus.
“Measures have been put in place to ensure no one receives the second dose of vaccine before 21 days. This occurred early in the vaccination process when vaccine recipients made their own appointments rather than medical staff setting up the date and time for second dose appointments, and CDC guidance indicated that a four day grace period was allowed. Public Health England is advising two days.”
Dr. Oyinloye concluded, “A standardized Public Health policy has been implemented by the Ministry of Health to keep to the manufacturer’s guidelines of the second dose being administered on day 21 and before the end of 12 weeks. I can reassure all those who have been contacted, there is no evidence that the adverse effects after a third dose are different to the well documented side effects.”
“To get more information about the vaccine, visit: gov.bm/vaccine.”
Please note, also, that the Ministry of Health is experiencing continuing high demand on our call centre, especially with requests to register to get vaccinated. The Ministry of Health apologises for any delays, and we ask that persons trying to get through please exercise patience