“Sadly, Bermuda has recorded another coronavirus death since our last update,” said Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP. “My heartfelt condolences go out to the loved ones of the deceased at this difficult time.”

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 6642 test results, and 107 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 1.6%.

These results are from testing done on:

§  Wednesday:  39 positive out of 1590 results (2.5% positivity)

§  Thursday: 19 positive out of 1479 results (1.3% positivity)

§  Friday: 31 positive out of 1710 results (1.8% positivity)

§  Saturday: 18 positive out of 1863 results (1.0% positivity)

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

The additional 86 new cases are classified as either local transmission (45) or under investigation (41).

Additionally, there were 113 recoveries.

There are 204 active cases, of which:

·         199 are under public health monitoring; and

·         5 are in hospital, with 0 in intensive care.

Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 11423 coronavirus cases, out of which 11096 have recovered, and sadly there have been 123 coronavirus-related deaths.

The source of all active cases is as follows:

·         41 are Imported

·         88 are classified as local transmission

·         75 are Under Investigation

The source of all confirmed cases is as follows:

·         2263 are Imported

·         8567 are classified as local transmission of which:

o   4123 are Local transmission with known contact/source and

o   4444 are Local transmission with an unknown contact/source

·         593 are Under Investigation

As investigations proceed, transmission categories may change. For 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 below 1.

“Recently, there have been outbreaks in social settings, as there is an increase in social mixing at bars, restaurants, and parties,” said Minister Wilson. “Residents are attending gatherings where simple things like sanitising hands, wearing a mask, and physically distancing are not being done adequately. We all want this pandemic to be over, but at the same time, we must adjust our behaviour to reduce the opportunity of getting infected.

“It is essential that you are aware of high-risk settings and can avoid exposure to the coronavirus. It is also essential to get tested or test yourself to know your status before going to social settings.

“The COVID-19 vaccine is still available to anyone who wants it. It is safe and highly effective in preventing severe illness and saving lives. We need to be careful, the pandemic is not over, and the Omicron variant is still circulating in our community. Everyone must be responsible and take action to stay safe. Avoid closed spaces, crowded places and close contact settings. Continue to follow Public Health guidance, wear a mask, practice good hand hygiene, ensure that you have proper ventilation indoors and maintain physical distance.”