An Appeal for Vulnerable Persons to Get Vaccinated

But there is an appeal for persons to visit vaccinations centers across the country to get their jab. Belize received donations from the governments of Barbados and India as well as thirty-three thousand six hundred doses via the COVAX facility. And while the vaccination rate is higher than many other countries, there is still the need for the elderly and persons from other vulnerable populations to get vaccinated.

Natalia Largaespada Beer

Dr. Natalia Largaespada Beer, Maternal & Child Health Technical Advisor, M.O.H.W.

“It’s no secret that last year, they represented eighty percent of the persons that died from COVID-19; they have a greater risk of getting infected so we need to protect them. Sam like persons with core-morbidities. So those phases are opened, but unfortunately some of them depend on others to bring them in. So we are calling on those relatives that have sixty years and older that haven’t come in for the vaccine, there is still time to come in. Phases are still opened for those. And I usually remind the audience that worldwide, we thought that COVID-19 was just one more respiratory infection. Today, we know that COVID-19 is a systemic disease and we learn that COVID-19 can lead to chronic illness that will increase the demand for services. So the message is why expose someone to go through these series of events and complications when it can be prevented now with a vaccine. So we call on all those who are in the different groups to make much of the opportunity that the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Government of Belize is offering to the population for their own protection against COVID-19.”