COVID Numbers Gone Down Fi Real

There are fifty-five active cases of COVID-19 in the country, with six new infections and six recoveries being recorded today.  Fortunately, there are no new deaths to report on this evening.  In fact, the COVID Unit at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital has gone without a single patient for several weeks.  It is marked improvement in Belize’s fight against the dreaded pandemic, but there is still skepticism regarding the accuracy of the figures being reported by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.  According to Doctor Cuellar, the numbers have indeed gone down considerably.

Fernando Cuellar

Dr. Fernando Cuellar, Internist, Belize Medical Associates

“I do think that there is enough reason to be cynical because we saw numbers back in November and December last year and now our numbers have gone down so much and people di wonder if da true.  I will tell you, on the ground, because I see patients everyday with respiratory symptoms and suspicions of COVID, the numbers have gone down.  I have not had a patient hospitalized for the past two months, okay, at [Belize] Medical Associates and I know, being in close contacts with my colleagues at Belize Healthcare Partners and Karl Heusner, our numbers have gone down on the ground, so much so that they are thinking or they have thought about closing down temporarily the COVID Unit at Karl Heusner.  So definitely our numbers on the ground have gone down.”

Today, the Ministry of Health and Wellness reported that over nine thousand Belizeans have been vaccinated so far. The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital is also reporting their staff has embraced the vaccine program with five hundred and thirty two of the six hundred and eighty staff members getting their shot. That represents seventy-eight percent of the K.H.M.H. personnel. The hospital also reports that they have not had any patients in the COVID-19 unit since March eighth.