At Thursday’s press conference, Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands announced one newly confirmed case of COVID-19 in The Bahamas. This latest case is a 29-year-old woman from New Providence, who is currently in isolation at home. The total number of confirmed cases now stands at 81.

• With regards to two Americans who were allowed into the country on Wednesday, Dr Sands explained: “The Ministry of Health was prepared to receive a donation of 2,500 double swab diagnostic tests kits on Wednesday from a private donor. The approval issued was for the delivery of the cargo only. The whole world is aggressively competing for test kits – they are very hard to obtain. As Minister of Health, I thought this was a matter of urgency.

“We then received a last minute and unexpected request for the donors, who are permanent residents of the Bahamas and were traveling on the same plane, to disembark. The plane was here and we had to make an urgent decision.”

Dr Sands said he made the decision to allow the couple to disembark. He said they were not displaying symptoms, they were evaluated by a nurse, instructed to self quarantine for 14 days and they were tested today for COVID-19.

Also from the press conference:

• A swab testing exercise on Saturday for those who may have been exposed to the virus at PMH and Sandilands, saw approximately 225 tested with only one testing positive – that person is in isolation at home.

• Bimini is considered a “hot spot” – a surveillance team is currently there.

• Dr Nikkiah Forbes says The Bahamas has applied to be in clinical trials for antiviral medication remdesivir – which could shorten COVID-19 symptoms from 15 to 11 days.