Patient Three “Doing Good Overall”; M.O.H. Looking at 2 Other Persons
The thirty-eight-year-old Belizean male, who contracted COVID-19 before traveling to Belize from New York City, remains in self-isolation tonight. Patient three is in Belize City, the economic and political hub of the nation, so the Barrow Administration is enforcing quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Health experts say that patient three started to show minor signs and symptoms on March twenty-fifth. He sought medical attention two days after and on March twenty-ninth, it was confirmed that he was carrying the infectious virus. Director of Health Services Doctor Marvin Manzanero, during today’s Ask the Expert session, pointed out that patient three had little contact with other individuals. Doctor Manzanero says that the surveillance team of the Ministry of Health has started a mapping exercise of this patient and any potential contacts.
Marvin Manzanero
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
“The case is of a male who has a travel history to New York. He was there for two weeks and arrived in country on March twentieth. The male did not have any signs or symptoms. He was informed upon arrival by health staff to self isolate and whenever he became symptomatic to be in touch with a health care provider. He subsequently five days later he started having flu like symptoms and he was in touch with a health care provider, swabbed on March twenty-seventh and the diagnosis screening test and confirmatory test came back positive yesterday. He is doing overall good. He doesn’t really have any signs or symptoms, not under any specific treatment. As you know there isn’t really any treatment for COVID-19 but he has not warranted any specific treatment on our end. This third case is self isolated. We have done our initial mapping in Belize City and we don’t seem to have any immediate family member or close contact that would have been unduly exposed if you will. Of course the mapping exercise looks at other layers. We are looking at other two persons who may have traveled with him or sharing some common address in New York but that is part of the mapping exercise that is ongoing.”
