“Sadly, I am reporting another COVID related death,” said Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP. “I am so sorry to hear of another loss of life, and I extend heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the deceased during this difficult time.”

The Ministry of Health received 5368 test results since the last update, and 155 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 2.9%.

These results are from testing done on:

• Friday: 124 positive out of 3572 results (3.5% positivity)
• Saturday: 31 positive out of 1796 results (1.7% positivity)

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

The additional 147 new cases are classified as either local transmission or remain under investigation.

Additionally, since the last update, there have been 68 recoveries and one (1) death.

There are 1513 active cases, of which:

• 1459 are under public health monitoring and
• 54 are in hospital, with 12 in intensive care
• There were 6 new COVID admissions in the hospital
• There were 2 COVID discharges from the hospital

Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 4632 confirmed coronavirus cases, out of which 3076 have recovered, and sadly 43 COVID related deaths.

The source of all active cases is as follows:

• 86 are Imported
• 260 are classified as local transmission of which:
  • 260 are Local transmission with known contact/source and
  • 0 are Local transmission with an unknown contact/source
• 1167 are Under Investigation

Active cases by vaccination status, transmission, and type:

• Imported cases: 89% are fully vaccinated, and 11% are not vaccinated
• Local/Under Investigation cases: 26% are fully vaccinated, and 74% are not vaccination
• Variant typing is not available at this time due to the prioritisation of test results.

The source of all confirmed cases is as follows:

• 561 are Imported
• 2756 are classified as local transmission of which:
  • 2225 are Local transmission with known contact/source and
  • 531 are Local transmission with an unknown contact/source
• 1315 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 1.25. Bermuda’s current country status is Clusters of Cases. However, local data continues to indicate that Bermuda meets the criteria for Community Transmission. Community transmission is characterised by an increased incidence of locally acquired, widely dispersed cases, with many cases not linked to specific clusters.

“I recognise that this is a very stressful time, and the surge of positive cases is causing anxiety. I encourage anyone who needs someone to talk to contact the Emotional Wellbeing Hotline. It is available to help,” said Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP. “By dialling 543-1111, you will have access to a qualified, experienced mental health practitioner to talk to if you’re feeling anxious, sad, overwhelmed, or stressed. This line will be open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 5 pm to 9 pm.”

“We will continue to remind people to be extremely cautious. Wear your masks properly, wash your hands frequently and physically distance. We will continue to recommend vaccinations as our best defense against the further spread of the virus, and we will continue to recommend people get tested to know their status. When you get tested, stay home until you get your test result back.”

“People are still going to work and out in public carrying and spreading the virus with symptoms they ignore. This behaviour is irresponsible and puts a lot of people at risk. Your individual choices impact us all, and as I have said before, we’re all in this together, and we must work together to end this outbreak. Everyone in our community has an individual responsibility to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.”

“Unfortunately, the current outbreak is being predominantly driven by members of the Bermuda community who are not vaccinated. We now have 1513 active cases, and when you look at the local transmission cases or those that are under investigation, 74% of those people are not fully vaccinated.

“Where data is available, the contact tracers have regularly seen transmission of the disease from unvaccinated people to vaccinated people, and the reverse seems to happen in only a few instances. The majority of vaccinated people who test positive experience a mild version of COVID-19 and, if hospitalised, BHB confirms their stay is brief. This demonstrates the vaccine works: symptoms are mild, and hospitalisation is reduced or brief.”

Minister Wilson concluded, “I want to thank all of our wonderful healthcare workers for their hard work and dedicated support. They are serving our community well, and I want to extend my deep appreciation for everything they are doing.”