There are thirty-two staff members currently out of commission at the K.H.M.H. having been exposed to or contracted the COVID-19 virus. Among those persons is the president of the K.H.M.H. Workers Union, Lidia Alpuche-Blake who tested positive and since last week, has been at home in isolation. News Five understands that the anaesthetist nurse is […]
As we have reported, the Social Security Board’s Chandra Nisbet-Cansino was successful in her application for the post as C.E.O. at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. She wasn’t the initial choice tapped for the job, but when that didn’t go well, Cansino was offered the job and she accepted. She takes up her new office […]
In terms of COVID-19 vaccinations, the latest figures from the Ministry of Health show that over two hundred thousand have had at least one dose, and over a hundred and fifty thousand people have received both their jabs. That means only thirty-five percent of our population is fully vaccinated. Dr. Diaz Musa is encouraging everyone […]
Over at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, its staff members were the recipients of a donation courtesy of Grace Kennedy Belize Limited. During a brief ceremony held inside the hospital lobby, frontline healthcare workers were handed bags filled with goodies as a show of appreciation by the corporate citizen that has been operating in Belize […]
In related news, the BTB’s Enhanced Health and Safety Training for Tour Guides took place last week in San Pedro. Held in conjunction with the San Pedro Tour Guide Association at the San Pedro Junior College, the two-day event looked at how to conduct tours while following globally recommended COVID-19 precautions and Tourism Gold Standard […]
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health and Wellness announced that it supports the use of SD Biosensor Rapid Test to test for COVID-19 in Belize. But what prompted the release? Well, the ministry says misinformation about the test’s accuracy currently being circulated is undermining efforts to fight the virus. News Five’s Paul Lopez decided to […]
The United Democratic Party is calling for the Minister of Health, Michel Chebat, to be removed and is criticizing the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic overall. At a press conference this morning at party headquarters the party made a list of demands, including the resignation –or removal– of the Minister of Health and Wellness. […]
The Opposition also called for transparency in procuring pharmaceutical supplies, particularly for testing and treatment of COVID-19, as well as free and accessible COVID-19 testing for everyone. Dr Alain Gonzalez, a doctor at KHMH, spoke on this demand from the Opposition. Leader of the Opposition, Patrick Faber criticized the Government’s decision to privatize testing, asserting […]
Former CEO of the Ministry of Health Dr. George Gough spoke about the need to get quality treatment for all in COVID case in the public health care system. He said under the former administration certain anti-viral were available in country, but leading up to the November 2020 elections the Ministry did not make any […]
Leader of the Opposition Patrick Faber spoke about his recent personal experience and having to spend those tens of thousands at a private hospital when his mother fell ill with COVID. Patrick Faber, Leader of the Opposition. “Anti Viral and Monoclonal treatment is very important. Some people will say Faber, you shouldn’t get into […]
Reports have surfaced on U.S. media outlets, including the Portland Tribune, that Belizean basketball star; Milton Palacio is among eighteen NBA veterans whose names have been called in an alleged four-million-dollar scheme to defraud the NBA health plan. Palacio was recently named assistant coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, but tonight, he along with Glen […]
Today News Five received a video of a woman, apparently dead, carried to the back of a police mobile in San Ignacio. Reports on social media were that she died in front of a private clinic on Hudson St. We reached out to the doctor, Dr. Jorge Garcia, seen in the blue shirt in the […]
Scientific data shows that after getting vaccinated, protection against the virus may decrease over time. For an increased immune response, the Center for Disease Control and Preventions is saying that a certain demographic of the vaccinated population should take a booster shot. This includes those considered to be high risk, like those sixty five years […]
Whether or not the two recent No Movement Sundays had an impact on COVID-19 numbers will not be known for a few more days. According to Dr. Hidalgo, this is due to the incubation period. Dr. Jorge Hidalgo, Internist, BHPL “Most of the things we are seeing with COVID, and especially the strategies, is […]
Merck and Co., Inc a global health care company has designed the first oral antiviral medication for COVID-19. It’s a pill called Molnupiravir. Merck is currently seeking approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration and announced today that it has signed a supply and purchase agreement that will supply Singapore with access to […]
As of October third, one hundred and ninety-eight thousand, five hundred and eighty persons or forty-eight percent had received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. One hundred and thirty-nine thousand, one hundred and fifty-seven persons or thirty-four percent have been fully vaccinated. On Tuesday, cabinet met with a few members of the COVID-19 […]
Hypertensive patients who are on prescribed high blood pressure medication, Losartan, manufactured particularly by the German market, are advised to discontinue taking the medication immediately. The Ministry of Health and Wellness as well as Brodies Pharmacy – the only importer of the drug – issued advisories today notifying about the presence of an impurity in […]
The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital has had to install an interim oxygen distribution system due to the high demand for oxygen by intensive care patients in the COVID 19 Unit. The hospital’s main delivery system has been in existence for the past decade. It is a storage and delivery system that supplies oxygen to over […]
Acting CEO Seguro also spoke about the cost attached to the modification at the KHMH. Needless to say, maintaining a consistent supply of oxygen to a facility like KHMH is expensive. Timothy Seguro, Acting CEO, KHMHA “The temporary distribution system, well let me not say temporary. The interim system is going to cost us […]
CEO Seguro says the public need not worry that oxygen will become a limiting factor in determining how many patients can be attended to in the COVID unit. Seguro says the hospital can also take on the challenge of finding additional space to admit new COVID-19 patients. The only limiting factor, he says, would be […]
The news that three of four COVID-19 deaths that occurred since the weekend were among fully vaccinated people has prompted COVID experts to pay keener attention to people with co-morbidity issues or pre-existing health conditions. News Five spoke today with Internist and COVID survivor himself, Dr Fernando Cuellar, about these deaths. He says that while […]
Cuellar says that herbal medicine does have a role to play in the fight against COVID-19, but its importance is in the recovery stage. Dr. Fernando Cuellar, Internist “The herbs, they do have their role but people must understand it’s not one or the other, noh? It’s not exclusively if I take herbs […]
The new COVID regulations that came into effect on October first require people, to show a vaccination card or a negative COVID test before entering government building. This includes employees of those places. GOB is now offering a measure of relief to person who requires a negative COVID test. Two COVID-19 testing sites have been […]
The Belize Central Prison continues its fight against COVID-19, as inmates and staff still contract the virus. According to Virgillio Murrillo, CEO of the Kolbe Foundation, almost three hundred cases have been detected within the prison’s gates since the onset of the pandemic. He says a recent spike can be attributed to new inmates. […]
Notwithstanding the recent increase in COVID-19 cases at the prison, only about half of the inmates have been vaccinated so far. The rates are higher for staff members who are required to either be vaccinated or present a negative COVID test. This requirement is now in place for visitors as well. Virgillio Murillo, CEO, […]
