Dr. Manza Clears the Air on BMDA Release

Marvin Manzanero

On Saturday, the Belize Medical and Dental Association issued a statement regarding frontline health workers, who they claim were exposed to COVID-19 in the line of duty.  DHS Manzanero has responded to the release and provided clarity on how those individuals contracted the virus, aside from stating that three of them are not employees of the Ministry of Health.

Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services

“That press release wasn’t really consulted with anybody as far as I know, from the Ministry of Health.  I am not sure what specifically they are referring to in terms of a doctor being forced to work under such conditions.  Underscore that three of the personnel are not from the Ministry of Health.”

Marleni Cuellar, Host, Open Your Eyes

“Three of those who tested positive.”

Dr. Marvin Manzanero

“Yes, two doctors and a nurse are from private sector alone, they don’t work in the public sector.  One pharmacist from health, one nurse from health and one doctor from health are the ones who have tested positive.  The pharmacist who turned up positive was actually on vacation, he had just come back to work and was symptomatic.  So that’s, we don’t anticipate that he got infected, I mean the incubation period wouldn’t really add up to the time frame.  The doctor and the nurse, both in Orange Walk, had not been caring, had not been the first line caregivers of those identified cases that we know that are in the system that are hospitalized in.  So we are also not thinking that they are getting infected in within the health system.”