Cayo COVID Case Not Community Spread
Marvin Manzanero
Residents in the Cayo District can breathe a sigh of relief tonight. The COVID-19 case involving a male in his early fifties does not seem to be a community spread. The man had visited the San Ignacio Community Hospital last week after experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms and a loss of sense of taste and smell. It was a strange case for health officials since, at the time, there was no information about him coming in contact with anyone who was infected with the virus. It was later learned that the man had traveled to a Mexican community in the north to buy scrap metal. This alarmed health officials due to the long distance between where he got infected and where he lives. Contact tracing got underway and today, Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero told the media that it has concluded with no additional positive case.
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
“We have completed contract tracing for that person. All the close contacts were negative including the treating facilities, the two persons that were there were negative. It doesn’t seem to be community spread because we have been able to after the interview process was completed there is a link to a Mexican community where he would have issues to do with the scrapping of metals where he sells the items. We are assuming that is where he got it from. The reason why we also talk about community spread because none of his contacts are also positive. So it seems to be an issue that was brought across the border.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Are you able to say how many times he travelled to that community?”
Dr. Marvin Manzanero
“No. But it would seem to have been the latter part June because we managed to map out where he was every day for the first days of July.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Did he use public transportation?”
Dr. Marvin Manzanero
“No. He had his own transportation because that is what he does. He goes around scrapping metals so he went visiting mostly compounds with very little interaction with people.”
