BU COVID Dash – Testing is Down!

David;Β  Attached are updated charts for this week. Positive cases remain on a downward trend.Β  Vaccinations are slowly increasing and test positivity remains substantially above the goal of <5%.Β  Indeed, the 7 day positivity trend line is showing a slight uptick.Β  Increased uptake of vaccinations, vigilance and compliance with protocols seems to be necessary, especially as the Omicron variant is on the move and threatens.

Lyall Small

121 thoughts on “BU COVID Dash – Testing is Down!


  1. The best you will get from positivity is a feeling for the direction in which cases are headed.

    Low means down, so a good sign.


  2. John;
    I also think that a high test positivity rate is suggestive of significant community spread which ensures that the contact tracers cannot do their jobs efficiently and tends to lead to higher overall disease incidence . Low test positivity indicates that disease incidence is down, so a good sign, as you said above. The under 5% target is an arbitrary target but is very useful as a goal for the Covid managers to aim for. There is no agreed mathematical formula that links test positivity with overall disease incidence.


  3. Doctor suspended for prescribing Ivermectin to patients suffering from COVID-19

    Article by
    Barbados Today
    Published on
    December 8, 2021

    https://barbadostoday.bb/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Dr.-St-Rose.jpg

    SOURCE: CMC- A medical practitioner has been suspended for six months after she prescribed the drug Ivermectin to treat patients who had contracted the coronavirus (COVID-19).

    Dr. Gilbertha St. Rose confirmed her suspension by the Medical and Dental Council of St. Lucia and has told the St. Lucia Times newspaper that she will be holding a news conference later to discuss the issue.

    The on line publication said that the Council delivered its decision against Dr. St Rose for prescribing and supplying the drug Ivermectin to patients without authorisation from the Ministry of Health or the Chief Medical Officer and publicly encouraging its use to treat the virus.

    It said it had obtained a document indicating that on receipt of a written application from Dr. St Rose before the end of the six months, the Council would review the suspension of her registration and practicing certificate once she undertakes in writing to cease.

    β€œThe document also prescribed paying an EC$10,000 (One Ec dollar=US$0.37 cents) fine to the Council within 30 days because Dr. St Rose conducted an unapproved and unmonitored clinical trial,” the St. Lucia Times newspaper reported.

    The Medical and Dental Council of St. Lucia has not issued any statement regarding the suspension, but had written to Dr St Rose, an Integrated Health Specialist, indicating that between February 8 and August 30 2021, she had committed acts of misconduct by performing her duties as a medical practitioner in a negligent and incompetent manner..

    Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug most commonly used to treat livestock. It is a US FDA-approved for humans when treating lice, rosacea, and specific parasitic diseases, but not for COVID-19.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) says the current evidence on the use of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 patients is inconclusive.


  4. So, if Ivermectin is being used in St. Lucia then going the extra mile requires us to look at the results.

    Quite amazing to watch how active cases have fallen, quite unmistakable!!

    https://imgur.com/pTeRKkV

    Active cases down to 102, where we might get to later this month except we are seeing some conflicting signals.

    Here is St. Lucia.

    https://imgur.com/pTeRKkV

    And here is Barbados

    https://imgur.com/UVtZ91X

    Looks like Ivermectin might allow a country to bring down its active cases faster by successfully resolving them.

    Quite interesting to see the similarities between characteristic curves.


  5. Hang on a minute, didn’t I not long ago see something about Japan and Ivermectin?

    Sho’ ’nuff.

    Even posted it here already!!

The blogmaster dares you to join the discussion.