The Bahamas, like many other countries of the world, is struggling under the strain of a second wave of the COVID-19.
According to Loop News, during a national address on Monday, August 3, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the government must once again act quickly and forcefully to protect the health of all citizens.
He said over the last two weeks health officials have seen an increase in indicators that point to the need for a national lockdown.
“There has been an exponential increase in the number of cases, an increase in hospitalizations, an increase in the demand for ICU beds, and sadly, an increase in the number of deaths. The more cases that present to health institutions, the more services will be needed. Right now, our bed capacity and human resources are being increasingly stretched,” Minnis said.
“Health officials advised that a lockdown will allow for the repurposing of health facilities and the addition of health resources to accommodate the increased need for hospitalizations and healthcare support,” he added.
According to the prime minister, officials from the Ministry of Health have advised that a lockdown will provide the opportunity for enhanced contact tracing, making it easier to identify cases in the early stages and in so doing slow the spread of the virus.
He stressed the importance of flattening the curve, saying the ICU is at capacity and the non-critical care beds are approaching capacity.
The Ministry of Health recorded 31 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 679.
Minnis said the longer they take to bring this second wave under control, the longer it’ll take to return to normalcy.
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