Four new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed yesterday but nine people were reported to have recovered, bringing the number of active cases down to 94, the health ministry said.

The four cases were identified from a total of 650 tests. One was imported by a resident who arrived on a Delta flight from New York on Monday and tested positive on arrival, two were classified as local transmission with known contacts as they were associated with known cases and one case is under investigation.

There are currently 94 active cases, five of whom are in hospital with none in critical care.

Bermuda has recorded 636 total confirmed cases of Covid-19; out of those, 531 persons have recovered and 11 persons have died as a result of Covid-19.

The mean age of all confirmed positive cases is 43 years (median: 40 years) and the age range is less than one year to greater than 100 years.

The mean age of all currently active cases is 41 years (median: 41 years) and at least one active case is aged between 5 and 9 years old.

Sixty-six cases remain under investigation, with 13 cases moving today from under investigation to local transmission with known contact/source and 2 cases moving from under investigation to local transmission with unknown contact/source.

The seven-day average of the real time reproduction number is 0.6 and Bermuda’s current country status remains “Clusters of Cases”.

The first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine doses will be administered on Monday to healthcare and essential workers who agree to take the vaccine. Essential frontline workers provide services which prevent social disruption and allow society to function and who are also at risk for higher levels of exposure to COVID-19, the ministry said. This includes firefighters, police, corrections officers, personnel at the ports of entry and teachers.

They will also administer the first batch of the vaccine to seniors in rest homes and long-term care facilities, who have given their consent. There is no cost for the vaccine and they will be administered at sites arranged by the Department of Health and with primary care physicians who have been approved by the Department of Health.

The Ministry of Health also reminded returning residents that travellers landing in Bermuda without a pre-arrival test will be charged $300 at the airport. There are no refunds, so travellers were advised to plan ahead and, carefully consider if they should be travelling at all.