NASSAU, Bahamas — Multiple members of the Church of God have died or been hospitalized with COVID-19 since a youth convention held early last month, according to relatives and congregants who spoke with The Nassau Guardian, according to an article published in The Guardian on Tuesday, August 3.
However, Ministry of Health officials have not reported on the alleged cluster with Minister of Health Renward Wells telling The Nassau Guardian he had no comment and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pearl McMillan unreachable over the course of days to answer questions.
The Nassau Guardian also attempted, over the course of days, to reach church officials, including Bishop Moses Johnson, the national overseer. However, none of those attempts were successful.
The event, the 66th national youth convention, was held between June 30 and July 4.
Ricardo Nairn said yesterday that his mother, Agnes Nairn, and uncle, Leonard Nairn Jr., attended the convention and later tested positive for COVID-19.
They died 45 minutes apart last Thursday, he told The Nassau Guardian, confirming that they were not vaccinated.
He said his uncle was an usher during the event.
Nairn said he was told by a Ministry of Health official that his mother caught COVID during the convention.
“The only thing I was told was that it was traced back to the church,” he said.
He said his aunt, Vernamae Solomon, caught COVID from her daughter who attended the convention. She died on July 22, he said.
Nairn said his sister, who took care of their mom, caught COVID from her and ended up in hospital too. She also passed the virus onto her kids, he said.
“My sister had a lung infection but she recovered,” he said. “She’s doing better now. I almost lost her too.”
He said, “That one incident touched nine people in my family.”
Nairn spoke with candor about his loss and said he wants answers.
“They have to realize that once the people leave from the convention they coming home to families,” he said. See full story in The Nassau Guardian at https://thenassauguardian.com/killer-convention/
