By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

FORMER Health Minister Dr Duane Sands believes the coast is not clear in the fight against COVID-19 and that a fourth wave is possible despite current falling case numbers.

“We are seeing a reduction in the number of cases confirmed daily. We’re seeing a reduction in the number of persons hospitalised. We have not had any characterisation of deaths in many days and so we now have some 67 odd cases left to be characterised,” he told The Tribune yesterday.

“So, once those cases are adjudicated, I suspect that we will see another spike in terms of number of deaths from COVID, but, you know, let’s be grateful we don’t have 150 people hospitalised from COVID that our emergency rooms are not over-runned, but do not translate that into suggesting COVID is gone.”

He added that the recommendations ought to be to maintain a high level of adherence to all of the public health measures that work which means wearing masks, being socially distant, using hand sanitiser or hand washing, avoiding crowds, avoiding indoor activity wherever possible and making sure eligible persons get vaccinated.

According to a Ministry of Health release dated November 1, there were only 14 newly confirmed cases on Monday, bringing the total confirmed cases to 22,429. Six hundred and forty-three people have died from COVID-19, however 67 other deaths are under investigation.

Seventy-one people are in hospital with the virus.

“We are always optimistic when there are fewer patients in hospital, fewer deaths, less sick patients, but I don’t want anybody to believe that COVID is gone,” Dr Sands also said. “We need only look at what’s happening in Europe and Great Britain in particular where they have seen a surge to historic levels in terms of number of cases and that’s in an environment in which vaccinations have proceeded quite well. We have not reached the same level of vaccination.

“So we’ve seen three major spikes around the world – first, second, and third wave. Let’s hope and pray that we don’t see a fourth, but unless there has been some dramatic change in the biology of this virus I think we are probably going to see another wave.”