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BU COVID Dash – Living with the Virus

Please see uploads for the week ending 25th February 2022. Barbados is now at a new “living with Covid” stage. The various ministries announced significant changes in their management of Covid this afternoon. As such, I am suggesting that I would submit only the enclosed graphs on a weekly basis, initially, but subject to modification…

Please see uploads for the week ending 25th February 2022. Barbados is now at a new “living with Covid” stage. The various ministries announced significant changes in their management of Covid this afternoon. As such, I am suggesting that I would submit only the enclosed graphs on a weekly basis, initially, but subject to modification if new substantive changes in the pandemic occur. All the indicators are trending in the right direction and we should all hope that they continue to do so – Source: Lyall Small

90 responses to “BU COVID Dash – Living with the Virus”

  1. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    @Artaxerxes March 4, 2022 6:04 PM

    Dear Artaxerxes: I am so sorry to hear this. My sincerest condolences.

  2. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    I join with fellow bloggers in offering deepest condolences to u brother. And may ur wife rest peacefully in the bosom of her faith.

    Peace.

  3. angels cox Avatar
    angels cox

    Artaxerxes

    I understand that in times of sorrow things we want to say might not coming out in clear and coherent context
    However your last blog on the morning of February 26 the 2022 9.07am was clear and precise although / and nothing was mentioned of your dire situation / circumstance

    ArtaxFebruary 26, 2022 9:07 AM

    @ David

    I keep ‘saying’ BU is an amazing forum.

    Leaders all over the world, including those countries that received loans or financial aid from China, have condemned Russia’s military action against Ukraine.

    But, an idiot keeps coming to this forum to give people the impression that Mia Mottley committed an UNPARDONABLE SIN when she expressed similar sentiments and that Barbados will suffer dire consequences as a result.

    These silly ‘political yard-fowls’ have an uncanny penchant for politicizing every issue. They are prepared to enter into the ‘realm of absurdity’ to display ‘genuine idiocy’ and criticize for the sake of criticizing.
    Xxxx
    Kind of baffling that after going through those hard moments u still had time and enough concentration to put fingers to key board and interject your perspective on the political happenings connected to war
    Xxcccc
    My pray are with u and other family members

  4. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    @ Cuhdear Bajan and de pedantic Dribbler

    Thanks for offering your condolences.

  5. GP Avatar
    GP

    ARTAX
    SORRY TO HEAR OF YOUR LOSS, SIR

    BE CONSOLED BY THE WORD THAT SAYS
    Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints…..Psalm 116 v15

  6. Sargeant Avatar
    Sargeant

    Artax

    Condolences to you and your family 🙏🏿

  7. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    Dr. GP & Sargeant

    Thanks for your condolences.

  8. David Avatar
    David

    @Artax

    You must keep the faith. Condolences to you and family.

  9. David Avatar
    David

    Scrapping PCR testing ‘a key step’
    By Tony Best
    Barbadian scientist in the United States Dr Wayne Greaves believes Government’s decision to scrap the PCR testing requirement for visitors coming in is a “reasonable” step that strikes an “appropriate balance”.
    He said it would help to protect Barbadians against any further spread of the highly infectious and deadly coronavirus while allowing for a much- needed re-opening of the country’s moribund economy.
    In a major change to the border entry protocols, Minister of Health, Ian Gooding-Edgehill recently said that with the COVID-19 metrics trending downward, the new move was really a key step in the re-opening the economy. While Greaves backed the decision, he noting “it was a reasonable approach designed to move Barbados forward by opening its economy a bit more,” he quickly insisted that requiring proof of vaccination status must remain a key element of the protocol.
    “That to me is still essential.
    In fact, if it were left to me and I know it isn’t easy to implement or require, but ideally because of the Omicron variant and its high infectious nature in the island and around the world, I would have required two doses of the vaccine and the booster shot as well. I am definitely in favour of dropping the PCR testing on arrival in Barbados.”
    Greaves, a former professor of medicine at Howard University who was also trained at McGill University in Canada, Vanderbilt University and the U.S. Centres for Disease Control in Atlanta, said “when you are looking at businesses coming into a country, it is reasonable to impose restrictions needed to make the place safe, for everyone, including visitors.
    Still take precautions
    “I have looked at the continuing decline in the number of cases and deaths and I think that at the present time, scrapping the PCR test is a reasonable step to take in order to be a bit more open. People whose immune system was compromised and who have chronic medical conditions that would put them at risk if exposed to the virus should still take precautions. But for people who are travelling, are presumably healthy and have been vaccinated, I think the scrapping of the test is reasonable.
    “I think Barbados is balancing the situation appropriately,” Greaves added.
    He said Barbados should continue to look at its own situation with the virus and not with the entire global picture when making decisions, given the progress of the virus in the country.
    “You can use the world as a reference point but we must be cognizant of what’s going on in Barbados as distinct from say Hong Kong where there is a
    raging epidemic,” Greaves added.
    Trending downwards
    “The United Kingdom has thrown caution to the wind and Hong Kong is now contemplating a lockdown because of the large number of cases. But Barbados doesn’t have to copy what a particular country does” to deal with its situation, he contended.
    “It must consider its own number of cases or deaths and where the curves are going.
    In Barbados, the curves are trending downwards for the number of cases and deaths.
    That is a good sign. In Hong Kong they are not.”
    As Gooding-Edgehill explained it, the action regarding the PCR test for visitors would help relieve congestion at the airport. In addition, intransit passengers with negative PCR tests or rapid antigen tests would no longer be tested at the Grantley Adams International Airport.
    The band system would also be discontinued, with the exception of the red band. He also said the results of home test kits would not be accepted.
    The Minister insisted that the risk of COVID-19 transmission from people visiting Barbados remained very low, pointing out that less than two per cent of the island’s cases of infection were detected at the ports of entry.

    Source: Nation

  10. David Avatar
    David

    Enclosed are Covid Charts to 4th March 2022. Charts show a very slight uptick this week. Will check next week (DV) to see if the cases continue in the same vein – Source: Lyall Small

    Enclosed are Covid Charts to 4th March 2022. Charts show a very slight uptick this week. Will check next week (DV) to see if the cases continue in the same vein – Source: Lyall Small

  11. David Avatar
    David

    Questionable restrictions
    Last week a colleague invited me to lunch. I haven’t gone out to lunch in more than two years because I am not comfortable taking off my mask in public places. However, with Omicron and having recently recovered from COVID-19, I am now more inclined to try activities that I avoided for the better part of the pandemic.
    So when my friend invited me to lunch, I actually said yes. Moments later he messaged to say the restaurant would only allow fully vaccinated patrons. I laughed out loud and pondered on the logic behind this restriction. The possibility still exists of being infected by other vaccinated maskless patrons, so what’s the point of the restriction?
    If the restaurant or any other business wishes to reduce the risk of transmission on their premises, then the focus should be on testing all patrons, rather than simply restricting access to the vaccinated.
    This brings me to the new protocols which the Government recently introduced under the new Emergency Management (COVID-19) (Protocols)(No. 2) Directive, 2022.
    These directives, though more lenient than previous versions, contradict some of the recent messaging of the Government and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO).
    Recently The Most Honourable Dr Kenneth George advised that “the concept of safe zones is difficult to do in an environment where you expect a lot of the population to be exposed… we cannot transpose safe zones into an Omicron environment”. Therefore, the previous safe zone concepts of giving automatic entry to vaccinated persons without them having to be tested can no longer work in an Omicron environment. The focus has rightly shifted to ensuring that all patrons are tested prior to entry.
    Testing requirements
    For this reason, I understand why the new directives have imposed testing requirements for vaccinated persons who wish to attend public events. However, the directives fail to have a consistent testing policy.
    In some instances, the directives completely exclude unvaccinated persons from events, while in others, unvaccinated are allowed once they submit a negative test result.
    This makes no sense.
    Pursuant to section 5 (3) of the directives, pleasure craft and private boats can operate at 50 per cent capacity for private cruises once the passengers are fully vaccinated or produce a negative result of a rapid test taken 24 hours prior.
    Yet, party cruises are restricted to patrons, staff and performers who are fully vaccinated and tested. So the unvaccinated are completely excluded from party cruises rather than given the option to present a negative test. What’s the difference between a vaccinated person
    who presents a negative test and an unvaccinated person who is also negative?
    A further contradiction is seen in section 7 (1), which allows unvaccinated patrons to attend public events once they produce a negative test result. But the service providers, staff and performers at these same events must be fully vaccinated and produce a negative tests. So those who earn a living from the entertainment industry are prevented from earning simply because they are unvaccinated, while patrons get the option of attending these same events once they produce a negative result. This is unjust. One of the main reasons for reopening the entertainment sector was to allow those in the industry the chance to earn after a long hiatus. The directives have the opposite effect for many of them.
    Furthermore, what’s the rationale for excluding any unvaccinated patron who is willing to be tested prior to entry? And let’s not speak about the failure of the directives to distinguish between the vaccinated whose second shot was more than six months ago and are no more protected than the unvaccinated.
    These restrictions within the Directives are punitive rather than grounddd in science and simply represent another form of vaccine coercion. Since the focus has shifted to testing, all persons should be given the option of submitting a negative test as a precondition for attendance.
    Having said that, I believe persons who choose to remain unvaccinated must accept there will continue to be consequences for that choice. This may mean eating at home or partying within the comfort of one’s own living room.
    Michelle M. Russell is an attorney at law with a passion for employment law and labour matters and a budding social activist.
    Email: mrussell.ja@gmail.com

    Source: Nation

  12. David Avatar
    David

    Cases continue to fall.

    111 new COVID cases and two deaths

    https://www.nationnews.com/2022/03/06/111-new-covid-cases-two-deaths/

  13. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    @ David,

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/03/06/but-wants-consultation-on-changes-to-common-entrance-exams/

  14. David Avatar
    David

    @Hants

    You would have thought there was consultation between stakeholders about an important change as proposed by the MOE?

  15. John Avatar
    John

    Artax

    Sorry to read of your loss.

  16. John Avatar
    John

  17. John Avatar
    John

    Test Cricket coming up.

    Planes been busy today.

    Cases may go up in a week or two after first Test, March 16 to 22.

    UK still requires testing if you are not fully vaccinated.

    “If you do not qualify as fully vaccinated for travel to England, you must take a COVID-19 test before you travel to England from abroad. If you do qualify as fully vaccinated for travel to England, you do not need to take a test before travel.”

    Some of my family members have it.

    They are pretty sure it came through contact among the younger generation out partying and not water!!

    No flooding here but problems in UK so the Brits will be bringing it with them..

    Brazil seems to have caused their cases to fall remarkably with Ivermectin despite their problems with floods.

    Possibly if people in Brazil are taking it they are not being hit hard by COVID if they get it and don’t see the need to test.

    Some Florida Doctors are using it too.

    https://www.wesh.com/article/florida-doctor-claims-hes-treated-3000-covid-19-patients-with-human-version-of-ivermectin/39302154

  18. John Avatar
    John

    Faucci seems to have disappeared.

    De Santis claims he is in witness protection but I think he is joking.

  19. John Avatar
    John

  20. John Avatar
    John

    Truckers arrive in Washington DC!!

  21. John Avatar
    John

    Australia in problems.

    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/australia-floods-tens-of-thousands-of-people-in-sydney-flee-their-homes/ar-AAUL04E?ocid=msedgntp

  22. Cuhdear Bajan Avatar
    Cuhdear Bajan

    175 new Covid19 cases, 131 adults, 44 children, 16.5% infection rate from 1056 tests done on Tuesday 8th March, 2022. 22 new people received their first vaccine.

  23. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has disclosed that the interviewing process for about 200 additional Ghanaian nurses has been completed and the health care professionals will be taking up their assignments in Barbados in the future.

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/03/09/more-ghanaian-nurses-on-the-way/

  24. John Avatar
    John

    More coming to light.

  25. David Avatar
    David

    The numbers continue to fall.
    ——————-

    A total of 128 people (52 males and 76 females) tested positive for COVID-19 from the 1,057 tests carried out by the Best-dos Santos Public Health Laboratory on Wednesday, March 9.

    The cases comprised 30 persons under the age of 18, and 98 who were 18 years and older.

    There were 49 people in isolation facilities, while 1,214 were in home isolation.

    As at March 9, the virus had claimed 323 lives.

    The public health laboratory has carried out 595,351 tests since February 2020, and recorded 56,679 COVID-19 cases (26,290 males and 30,389 females).

    Under the National Vaccination Programme for COVID-19, the total number of persons with at least one dose is 160,552 (70.3 per cent of the eligible population). The total number of fully vaccinated persons is 150,220 (55.4 per cent of the total population or 65.8 per cent of the eligible population). The eligible population represents those persons who are 12 years and older.

  26. John Avatar
    John

    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/familyhealth/experts-issue-warning-over-new-covid-variant-and-say-pandemic-is-not-over/ar-AAUT7VT?ocid=msedgntp

  27. John Avatar
    John

    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/weather/topstories/before-and-after-images-show-record-breaking-flooding-in-australia/ar-AAUU3eQ?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=W069

    We all know what that means!!!!

  28. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Due to technical problems currently being experienced, travellers are unable to complete the form. Until the issue has been resolved, travellers can use the Immigration kiosks on arrival in Barbados.

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2022/03/11/ed-online-travel-form-currently-unavailable/

  29. David Avatar
    David

    https://barbadostoday.bb/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/275326612_335071251992631_8307127166047241407_n-730×456.jpg

  30. John Avatar
    John

    Australia’s cases beginning to increase about 3 weeks or so after their recent bout of flooding started.

    New Zealand preceded them and they have plateaued and on their way down while Australia rises.

    https://imgur.com/dYJyqhi

  31. John Avatar
    John

    UK cases showing an increase so I would expect to see our cases follow the upward trend shortly.

    I reckon most of the tests being done are on UK returnees who are not vaccinated so we seem to be sampling the UK population.

    https://imgur.com/dYJyqhi

  32. John Avatar
    John

    OOPS!!

    Got the wrong ‘un

    If vaccination levels are rising in the UK you would expect to see less returnees being tested but a higher positivity ratio to reflect the rise in the UK.

    It is possible also to see numbers tested here fall.

    Time will tell

    https://imgur.com/u0qlJ04

  33. John Avatar
    John

    Check Australia, Sydney Harbour.

    If they are using this seawater for desal, they are going to be in deep doo doo.

    Israel gets 55% of its water from desal of water taken from near shore waters.

    Their huge spike has plateaued and returned to normal … until the next set of floods.

  34. John Avatar
    John

  35. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    I have been keeping track of cases as a percentage of the number tested and the number tested.

    The number of cases has shown a decline, but when expressed as a percentage of the tested ,the decline is negligible.

    However, the decline in the number of tests tells me that the number of suspected infections is on the decline. I see this as a positive, but the relative slow decline in the percent infected is still a concern.

    Roughly 20% of the population was infected and the fact that we now hover at 16% makes me wonder what and who we are testing.

  36. David Avatar
    David

    The numbers continue to fall.

    ——-

    117 new virus cases

    https://www.nationnews.com/2022/03/12/117-new-virus-cases/

  37. John Avatar
    John

    If I am right, and I usually am, we’ll soon find out Grasshopper

    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/medical/covid-cases-and-hospitalisations-in-england-are-rising-and-experts-don-t-know-why/ar-AAUVru6?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=W069

  38. John Avatar
    John

    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/covid-cases-up-nearly-50-as-expert-accuses-ministers-of-wanting-to-get-rid-of-data-and-move-on/ar-AAV32WE?ocid=msedgntp

  39. John Avatar
    John

  40. John Avatar
    John

    No more testing for travel!!!

    https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/newslondon/all-remaining-covid-travel-measures-to-be-axed-even-as-cases-continue-to-rise/ar-AAVd8ZI?ocid=msedgntp

    Our cases should fall.

    If they don’t, it means we are being infected by our visitors.

    Deaths are occurring at about 1 a day.

    If this rate is acceptable for the GOB, (constitutional or not) then we will continue on.

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