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Bermuda, CMC — As of Monday the Covid-19 surges impacting Trinidad and Jamaica respectively continued to stress the islands' health systems, with Trinidad seeing double digit deaths, though the numbers have declined from record highs, while Jamaica's struggle to contain the virulent disease continued.
In Trinidad and Tobago, the country recorded 16 deaths and 271 new cases of the virus, pushing the respective totals to 495 and 23, 909. There are 9,487 active cases. The country's population was 1.395 million as of 2019.
The Trinidad Ministry of Health in its latest bulletin said the figures are for the period of May 22-30 and that the deaths included 10 women and six men, all with co-morbidities.
It said that 449 people remain in hospitals, with 128 in state sanctioned quarantine facilities and 8,587 in home isolation.
In Jamaica, whose population was 2.948 million as of 2019, the country recorded 90 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths — bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 48,557, with 21,939 active, and the death toll to 948.
The deaths were two women ages 62 and 92 and a 76-year-old man, Jamaica health authorities said.
The authorities said the new cases range in age from nine days to 98 years, including 51 females. Health officials further stated that a total of 1,318 tests were conducted. The country also reported 244 recoveries for a total 25,298, while 160 patients were hospitalized, with 11 being critically ill.
Bermuda, recovering from a recent Covid surge, saw its death tally reach 33 after the victim, who was not identified, passed away over the weekend, health officials said.
It was the first death linked to the virus since May 13 in Bermuda, but the fifth overall this month. As of Friday, when no new active cases were reported, there were 31 active cases of the virus — down from a peak of 904 in early April.
There were 27 cases under investigation while the island’s total recorded cases reached 2,491 as of Monday.
Dozens of young Bermudians were among those who contracted Covid-19 during a recent surge of infections, and Dr. Dy-Juan DeRoza, the national epidemiologist for the Ministry of Health, said that 67 cases involving children between the ages of 12 and 15 had been recorded this year. He added, however, that only a third of cases in said age bracket experienced symptoms.
The use of the Pfizer vaccine has been authorized for children 12-15 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, Bermuda as of Monday had not been given approval to administer the Pfizer shots provided by the United Kingdom, which sent a number of shipments of the vaccine to the island to people under 16.
Dr. DeRoza said vaccination sign-ups for those between the ages of 12 and 15 opened up three weeks ago and that there was “definite interest”.
