NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As countries heighten their response and shore up vaccination campaigns as the Delta variant of the coronavirus spreads rapidly, Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) Medical Microbiologist Dr Jessica Edwards suggested “aggressive strategies” must be maintained in The Bahamas to reduce spread.

“We do know that from the data we have thus far in-country, we have evidence that there are variants or that we have…studies that support, through screening, evidence that there are variants in-country,” she told Eyewitness News.

“I think that has been communicated by the CMO (chief medical officer) a little while ago — that we do have variants — however, specific variants, I am not aware of any that we have in-country, the specific ones.

“The likelihood is that we do have them and it is possible that the Delta variant is amongst that grouping of variants, but we don’t have confirmation as yet.”

Samples have been sent abroad to the Caribbean Public Health Agency laboratory in Trinidad to confirm variant strains in-country.

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