COVID-19 Cases Soars over 1,000!

Belize’s COVID-19 cases have jumped dramatically the one thousand mark. To close the month of August,  =the number of confirmed cases stands at one thousand and seven, which means cases have soared in the last month. The highest number of cases in a single day was this past Saturday; ninety-four positive cases were identified, while twenty-nine were confirmed on Sunday. The latest number for today was released earlier this evening and that totals fourteen cases. Majority of the recently confirmed cases are from the north – specifically from villages in Orange Walk. Here’s more from Director of Health Services Doctor Marvin Manzanero.

Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services

“Ninety-four was the highest number of cases in one day, yes. I believe the previous one we had was eighty. But that was on Saturday between San Pedro and Orange Walk accounting for about sixty percent of the total cases. Yesterday we had twenty-nine with a good amount of those from Orange Walk and today we have fourteen new cases with ten of those in Orange Walk. So, you will notice in the infographic that now the vast amount of cases are from the Orange Walk District. Later on, maybe in the next hour or so, we should be able to post an infographic that we had promised we would do every Monday which is the one that highlights the number of active cases per district.”

Marvin Manzanero

Andrea Polanco

“Doc, with these cases in these villages in Orange Walk – is it safe to say there is a community spread in the district itself?”

Dr. Marvin Manzanero

“I am sure if you go back to look at each case individually you can find them attached to some cluster. What we are finding is that there are bigger clusters and they are usually family situations. I had said last week that in some communities we were testing almost entire families and that is where people are turning out to have bigger groups that are infected in family situations. I don’t think that is going to go down. We are still very much troubled by the notes that we get that people are still having big parties, family get together and those situations through the weekend. I think those are the breeding ground for further expansion of cases.”

Andrea Polanco

“With what is happening in the north – from your knowledge and experience, is there anything they can do to try and contain those cases?”

Dr. Marvin Manzanero

“Well, it requires a community effort you know. You also go back and review how some communities reacted when they had initial set of cases. You go back to Santa Martha and Shipyard, they very quickly brought their numbers down and those had to do with the fact that communities took proactive approaches to say well we don’t want to stay in a lockdown forever, what can we do as a community? I think that is what needs to happen but it requires community effort.”

Of note, the recovered cases have increased to one hundred and seventy-three.