Thirty-nine people have lost their lives in the three months Barbados has been battling the Omicron wave of COVID-19.
This was disclosed yesterday by head of isolation facilities, The Most Honourable Dr Corey Forde, who explained that the elderly with multiple co-morbidities had the highest number of deaths.
He said the median age group for those dying from the disease was 72 years old. Of the casualties, eight were vaccinated, one partially vaccinated and the other 30 unvaccinated.
Forde said that while the vast majority of the cases manifested mild to no symptoms, there are 15 very ill elderly patients at the Harrison Point Isolation Facility in St Lucy. He stressed that these statistics showed the need for booster shots, but the rate of boosters among the elderly was not where he would like it to be.
Speaking during a virtual press conference hosted by COVID-19 Public Advisor David Ellis, the infectious disease specialist also revealed that 31 people at the facility required oxygen therapy, with three on ventilators. (CLM)
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