M.O.H.W. Encourages Persons to Get Vaccinated
An increase in the number of active cases is concerning, because it means that many more than the two hundred and twenty-one active cases are walking around with COVID. And so there are concerns for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those who have underlying conditions. While there have been no hospitalizations or deaths recorded, Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa is encouraging people to get vaccinated.
Melissa Diaz-Musa
Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Director of Public Health Services, M.O.H.W.
“We continue to encourage public health measures. There is absolutely nothing that is mandated; there is not a mandate to wear masks, but we encourage that if you do have an elderly person in the household, if you do work with the elderly or vulnerable population, you should wear your mask. You may be asymptomatic, but you can still transmit COVID. This is something that we’ve got to take our personal responsibility and make the determination whether or not you would wear your mask. Of course if you are a young person and you’re not living with a vulnerable person and you feel well, it would not be necessary. We also recommend that if you do have a cough, a cold, you have body aches, you have fever, notify your employer, keep your masks on and get tested. We have all our health facilities continue to perform tests, it is easily accessible and we are asking that you continue to check because you might have very little symptoms or mild symptoms, but somebody who is more vulnerable and whose body is not able to fight the virus as good as you can might not be as lucky. So we’ve got to look at the situation, we’ve got to take things in perspective and if you do have somebody who is ill at home, if you have someone who is immune-suppressed, somebody who is a cancer patient, diabetic, hypertensive, please go ahead and protect that person.”
An unvaccinated person is twenty-six times more likely to die compared to a completely vaccinated person, while a partially vaccinated person is three times more likely to die. The data shows that fifty point eight percent of Belizeans are fully vaccinated.
