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As information about the virus evolves, so has the response to its effects. With two years of experience in fighting COVID-19 and safeguarding the general public, Dr. Musa spoke about the lessons learnt by Belize’s health care professionals, and how critical the data has been to the national response. Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, Deputy Regional […]
Written on January 4, 2022 | Posted in
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The presence of the Omicron variant has still not been confirmed in Belize, only suspected. And already, there is another variant detected in France. So, as Belize braces for the news that it is Omicron that is causing the number of new infections to spike exponentially over the past three weeks, we may have to […]
Written on January 4, 2022 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Brace for the New, Extremely Contagious IHU Variant
Classes resume next week Monday for tens of thousands of students across the country who attend one of the over six hundred institutions in Belize. A Ministry of Education Transition to Hybrid Learning Report breaks down a detailed plan for safely getting children back into the classroom setting, with both an online and in-person learning […]
Written on January 4, 2022 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Hybrid Classes Will Resume January 10th
But, the number of active cases skyrocketing continues to be of grave concern not only to parents, but also to the Ministry of Education, and it’s planned reopening of schools in the next few days. While it is widely speculated that the increasing numbers reflect that the omicron variant is in Belize, C.E.O. Maheia says […]
Written on January 4, 2022 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Concerned about Omicron, but Min of Ed Confident Schools Will follow Protocols
So, going into this second semester, a game plan has been developed to address spikes in any community. Working closely with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Ministry of Education says the use of a geographic information system, will help it make informed decisions on high risk areas. Dian Maheia, C.E.O., Ministry of […]
Written on January 4, 2022 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Data Monitoring to Address COVID Spikes in Schools
This week, Belize’s hotel industry has begun to see more COVID cases among both their staff and guests. This morning on Open Your Eyes, industry spokesmen discussed the problems they are facing such as trying to keep their doors open, visitors housed, and workers on the job. Ted Tejada of the Belize Hotel Association says […]
Written on January 4, 2022 | Posted in
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Today senior management of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority appeared on the Open Your Eyes Morning Show to discuss everything COVID. This includes the country commencing its fourth wave as active cases have been increasing by huge numbers daily. While it has not been officially announced, health experts do believe that the spike is […]
Written on January 3, 2022 | Posted in
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Comments Off on K.H.M.H. Says it is Ready for Omicron/Fourth COVID-19 Wave
The capacity for the COVID unit at the K.H.M.H. is twenty-seven, but with the available human resources, the unit can best care for eighteen patients at any given time. As it currently stands, there are sixteen persons in the COVID unit; about seven of those persons are minors. Doctor Andre Sosa also says that the […]
Written on January 3, 2022 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Paediatric COVID Cases: The Unvaccinated and Overweight Minors at Risk
COVID-19 is non-discriminatory and even healthcare professionals, who have been working around the clock to save those who end up being hospitalised, have fallen victim. We’ve reported on the toll that the disease has had on the mental health of the staff, but there are also a number of doctors and nurses at the national […]
Written on January 3, 2022 | Posted in
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Comments Off on K.H.M.H. Doctors & Nurses Out Sick with COVID-19
Patients who become infected with the Omicron variant will be given fewer days in isolation than those who are infected with the Delta variant. This is due to the milder symptoms as well as the shorter timeframe it takes to incubate in patients. A circular sent out by Deputy Director of Health Services, Dr. Francis […]
Written on January 3, 2022 | Posted in
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Comments Off on New Guidelines from M.O.H.W. for Essential and Other Health Careworkers
During his appearance on the morning show, Doctor Andre Sosa also said that he was disappointed in the fact that no frontline healthcare worker, who has been in the trenches battling the COVID-19 public health crisis, was bestowed with the Queen’s New Year’s honours. Just last week, several persons including Philanthropist Dara Robinson, B.N.T.U. National […]
Written on January 3, 2022 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Dr. Sosa Disappointed: No Queen’s Honour for Frontline Healthcare Worker
One doctor at least is glad to see the Police Department is planning to crack down on planned New Year’s Eve gatherings. Dr. Shanna Pott, a general physician, was a guest on Open Your Eyes Morning Show. She says she grew concerned seeing the advertisements on social media. Dr. Shanna Pott, General Physician “I […]
Written on December 31, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Families from Same Home Can Celebrate, Just Don’t Go to Large Gatherings
And, in case you are wondering about some of the symptoms associated with the Omicron variant, Dr. Pott spoke about the common ones she has been seeing in her patients, some of which are different than with Delta. She says even those with mild symptoms or asymptomatic need to protect the vulnerable. Dr. Shanna […]
Written on December 31, 2021 | Posted in
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On Thursday, as many as fourteen thousand visitors disembarked from six vessels anchored outside of Belize City, marking a record for cruise arrivals over the past two years. It’s a significant improvement in numbers in the tourism industry; however, with the Omicron variant wreaking havoc in the United States, many are wary that passengers onboard […]
Written on December 31, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Are Cruise Passengers a Risk to Belize?
Chief Executive Officer Chandra Cansino assumed leadership of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in mid-October, amid the throes of a third wave of COVID-19 infections. At the time, the national referral facility was forced to wage war against the pandemic with limited resources, including beds inside the COVID Unit. Since then, there has been a […]
Written on December 31, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on K.H.M.H. Continues to Fight COVID-19 Pandemic
Today the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that Americans not travel by cruise ship even if vaccinated for COVID-19. Cases aboard a number of cruise ships using U.S. cruise ports are being investigated. Last week, Mexico prevented a ship from stopping, and several Caribbean countries are also turning ships away as their […]
Written on December 30, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Could Cruise Ships Be Turned Away Due to Omicron?
Social media has been abuzz with ads from establishments and private individuals announcing their intention to host social events to ring in the New Year. But while this is normally a celebratory season, the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging. Today, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams issued a stern warning for anyone planning to host –or […]
Written on December 30, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on ComPol Says Department Will Enforce COVID-19 Protocols
On Wednesday, A & R Store in Belize City was closed, reportedly after several employees tested positive for COVID-19. And so was Atlantic Bank’s Albert Street Branch in downtown Belize City. On Wednesday that bank sent out notices via email to say that the branch would be closed on the twenty-ninth and tonight, that branch […]
Written on December 30, 2021 | Posted in
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Omicron has not been officially detected through sequencing in Belize; nevertheless, health experts believe it is here. Deputy Manager of the Central Health Region, Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa told News Five today that while the gene-sequencing won’t confirm the presence of omicron until after 2022 is ushered in, the change in characteristics or patterns that infected […]
Written on December 30, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Health Experts Convinced Omicron is Here
And while Omicron appears ominous, interestingly, the number of people who have turned out for their vaccination and booster shots has waned significantly. Doctor Musa explained that the fully vaccinated population stands at almost two hundred thousand, which is about sixty-five percent of the target population. But that is under fifty percent of the total […]
Written on December 30, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Vaccination and Booster Numbers Wane
This afternoon, Doctor Natalia Beer shared with the media the latest statistics coming out of the Ministry of Health and Wellness regarding the most recent spike in COVID cases. What is being observed is a significant increase in the number of new cases being recorded. Doctor Beer spoke in the context of the Omicron variant […]
Written on December 30, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Making Sense of the Latest COVID Stats
With fifty percent of Belize’s population fully vaccinated, we are still a long way to go in terms of lowering the number of active cases by community. According to Doctor Natalia Beer, the transmissibility of the new variant will see a rapid multiplication of cases. Dr. Natalia Beer, Technical Advisor, Maternal Child Health “In […]
Written on December 30, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Omicron’s Transmission Rate Concerning
The Omicron variant is on everyone’s mind right now, but surprisingly, it has yet to be detected in Belize. That’s right. Although the number of new COVID infections, amid the third wave, is back on the rise after plunging to as low as four hundred and forty three-cases last week, Central Lab technicians have not […]
Written on December 29, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on COVID Cases are Back on the Rise: Is Omicron in Belize?
The staff at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital is finally getting some much needed downtime, as the number of COVID hospitalizations at the national referral facility continues to dwindle, but it may not be for too long. With Omicron an eventuality, the K.H.M.H. administration is forced to take additional measures to prepare for the inevitable, […]
Written on December 29, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on K.H.M.H. is Ready to Face Omicron Cases
K.H.M.H. is looking for a new Director of Medical Services. It’s a post that has been held on a pro tem basis by Doctor Adrian Coye since June 2020. But he is ready to step aside and get back to his primary occupation, which is performing surgeries. The deadline for submitting applications is this Friday. […]
Written on December 29, 2021 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Who Wants to be the New Director of Medical Services?
