COVID 19: Man, 60, dies as daily infections pass 100

As the COVID-19 death toll in Barbados increased by one Wednesday, daily new infections surpassed 100 as the virus continues to sicken and kill largely unvaccinated Barbadians, according to the latest official figures.

A 60-year-old man died on Tuesday, while at the Accident and Emergency Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Ministry of Health said.

He had co-morbidities and was unvaccinated, it added.

Of the 53 lives lost to the coronavirus, all but seven of them died since the start of the year, as new, more lethal strains of the virus arrived here, particularly the Alpha and Delta variants.

With the 124 new coronavirus cases,  consisting of 51 males and 73 females, from 1710 tests, the number of people in isolation at various government facilities swelled to 752 persons.

Of these new cases, 21 are under the age of 18, and the remaining 103 are 18 years and over, the ministry said.

Since March 2020, when the pandemic reached these shores, the island has recorded 6,177 confirmed cases – 3,086 females and 3,091 males and 288,100 tests were conducted.

Vaccination levels continue to be sluggish, reaching 35.7 per cent of the population or 96,629 people with double doses.  So far, 22,509 initial doses have been administered.  (BT/BGIS)