Grand Cayman, 17 November 2021 – Acting Director of Primary Healthcare and Deputy Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eryka Simmons today issued a weekly video update from the Public Health Department on trends observed in COVID-19 data over the prior week.

 The weekly trends data is being reported by “epidemiological week” which runs from Sunday to the following Saturday and is commonly referred to as an epi week or a CDC week. It is a standardised method of counting weeks to allow for the comparison of data.

Dr. Simmons said that for the week of 7 to 13 November there was an average of 202 new COVID-19 cases per day and a weekly total of 1,413 new cases.

Overall, 51 percent of the cases were female, and 49 percent male. The ages of positive cases ranged from two months to 96 years, with an average age of 31 years.

Dr. Simmons said, “One was under one year of age, 354 were under the age of 18, and 17 over the age of 70. Most of the cases are in the workforce.”

Of the week’s new positives, Dr. Simmons said, 31 percent were fully vaccinated, three percent had one shot, and 67 percent were unvaccinated.

Dr. Simmons urged residents to continue with personal prevention measures. She said, “In the context of wide community transmission, Public Health is advising enhanced vigilance in prevention strategies. If you are isolated or quarantined, you may still prevent ongoing transmission if you adhere to the recommendations. Wear your masks, use hand sanitiser and practice physical distance where possible.”

She also noted that COVID-19 vaccination clinics continue at the Lions’ Center and Camana Bay locations, as well as district events as advertised on the HSA and government websites and social media platforms.

Dr. Simmons’ full video may be viewed at https://youtu.be/RErlarF3iGg

COVID-19 Resources

For further COVID-19 information and resources, visit www.gov.ky/coronavirus

Downloadable resources and guides are available at https://www.exploregov.ky/coronavirus-resources

For other help and hotlines, visit https://www.exploregov.ky/getting-assistance

For specific information on the national lateral flow test policy visit https://www.exploregov.ky/lft-policy; and to report positive lateral flow test results go to www.exploregov.ky/report-covid19-result

An Isolation Support Line is available to help by delivering groceries or other essential supplies for people required to isolate suddenly, and who do not have other resources and support. Contact Isolation Support at 946-3530, 1-800-534-3530 or email [email protected]

Operational hours 9a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 9a.m. – 1p.m. on Saturday.

For mental health support, the Mental Health Helpline can be reached on 1-800-534-6463(MIND) from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

If you have flu symptoms contact the 24-hour Flu Hotline at 1-800-534-8600, 345-947-3077 or by email to [email protected].

If you are having difficulty breathing, please call 911.