As promised, the donation of one thousand vaccines from Barbados arrived in Belize today via Amerijet just after seven this morning. The shipment was received by the former Acting DHS, Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa. These vaccines are not a part of the one hundred thousand plus to be acquired via the COVAX facility, expected in late […]
Today, the Ministry of Health and Wellness held a media sensitization session at the Radisson on COVID-19 vaccines. Among the issues discussed were the effectiveness of vaccines in a pandemic and resistance by healthcare workers to getting vaccinated. News Five’s Duane Moody reports. Duane Moody, Reporting As Belize anticipates the arrival of its first […]
In preparation for the vaccine roll out across the country in the coming weeks, a simulation exercise was conducted by the Ministry of Health and Wellness last week. Doctor Natalia Largaespada Beer breaks down that process and the gaps identified for setting up vaccination stations outside of a medical facility. Dr. Natalia Largaespada Beer, […]
The saga continues….News Five has confirmed that Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero has been placed on administrative leave, pending investigation of alleged misconduct. That’s the information coming to News Five this afternoon after the embattled DHS was reportedly sent home effective today for five days. We have confirmed that on Monday, Doctor Manzanero […]
And this just in…there is good news coming from out of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, which is reporting that Belize will be receiving its first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Government of Barbados. The donation of one thousand single doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine will arrive at the P.G.I.A. by cargo […]
The existing regulations for the curfew currently in place will expire next week Tuesday. Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa told reporters that even though the COVID-19 cases have declined, this doesn’t mean that they will relax the curfew hours. Here’s how he explains it: Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs “So, definitely come […]
Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa is the B.M.D.A.’s choice for Director of Health Services, but the glowing endorsement she has received from her colleagues in the medical community may not carry much weight. That’s because the decision to replace Doctor Marvin Manzanero in that capacity does not lie with the Belize Medical and Dental Association. In fact, […]
If Belizeans think that our COVID-19 lockdown a few months ago and the current curfew and other restrictions seem severe, you may want to hear what the government of Barbados has just announced. Following the death of a health care professional, Prime Minister Mia Motley told Bajans there will be what the government is terming […]
Also in COVID-19 news from the region, Saint Lucians celebrated their first set of vaccinations this week. The first round of three thousand doses is already being administered and the small island nation is expecting another seventy-four thousand from COVAX and a further twenty-five to forty-thousand from the Indian government in the coming weeks. The […]
A man in Belize City needs your help to secure O-negative blood. This evening, his daughter visited our news station to make an appeal on behalf of her dad, who is seriously ill in the hospital. Sandra Monterrosa, Appeal for Blood Donation “I am making an appeal for my dad. He is in the […]
To help overcome disruptions to the delivery of healthcare during COVID-19, District Health Educators are getting a technology boost this week. Nine senior officers from the Health Education and Community Participation Bureau (HECOPAB) are being equipped with laptops, cases and projectors for use during training sessions with community health workers. According to the Ministry of […]
Today, the Acting Director of Health Services, Doctor Melissa Diaz-Musa confirmed to News Five that Belize will be getting about one hundred thousand eight hundred doses of the AstraZeneza vaccine from the COVAX Facility. That is the first phase of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout for the country, which is expected to be in country by […]
It’s been just about a month since two hundred plus samples were sent to Baylor College in the U.S. and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to determine if any of the new variants of COVID-19 has made its way into Belize. As we know, the UK variant has been detected in neighbouring Mexico. So […]
For the past week, there have been zero deaths reported due to complications associated with the novel coronavirus; in fact, the infection rate has also reduced drastically as the number of new cases has been low. Despite the downward trend, the Ministry of Health and Wellness remains concerned about increased social and commercial activity. Acting […]
Elections and Boundaries also will be very stringent in their enforcement of mask wearing and social distancing, so electors will need to comply to cast their ballots. Josephine Tamai, Chief Elections Officer “We discussed the protocols that were in place for the General Elections and we realized that what we did then worked extremely […]
The Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 daily report for today, February sixteenth shows that there are thirteen new COVID-19 infections. The latest numbers show that Stann Creek, Cayo and Belize recorded the highest number of cases. Here’s a look at the numbers from Claudette Dakers-Noralez of the Ministry of Health. Claudette Dakers-Noralez, Communications Officer, M.O.H.W. […]
This afternoon, the Ministry of Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs announced the return of the COVID-19 Relief Programme, but this time under the name, Belize COVID-19 Cash Transfer Program. The ministry has partnered with the National Bank of Belize Limited, Digi and the Belize Social Investment Fund to provide short-term emergency cash to […]
In other COVID-19 news, the San Ignacio Community Hospital has received a donation of one hundred face shields. The gift to Belize is the result of a collaboration between a student from the University of North Carolina Charlotte campus and Nahir Habet, Engineering Manager at Atrium Health Musculoskeletal Institute in North Carolina. Habet was the […]
Tonight, there is some progress to report on the COVID-19 vaccine front. Fellow Caribbean nation Barbados has offered Belize one thousand vaccines. On Sunday, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Motley received one hundred thousand vaccines under the Vaccine Maitri initiative from the Indian government; the Commonwealth of Dominica received seventy-thousand vaccines. West Indies and Caribbean […]
As the Prime Minister explained, the challenge would be getting the vaccines here from Barbados, but when it does, who will get it first? It is only a thousand vaccines, and frontline workers will be prioritized. The country is still waiting to receive its shipment of vaccines under the COVAX facility. PM Briceño says that […]
According to Prime Minister John Briceño, the government is insisting on its quota of vaccines through COVAX. The government has made a down payment, and the vaccine allocation should cover thirty-percent of the population. The first shipment is expected to arrive at the end of March. Briceño says the Ministry of Health and Wellness has […]
There are twenty new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed cases of the virus to twelve thousand one hundred and thirty-four. As it currently stands, there are one hundred and ninety-eight active cases. The Ministry of Health and Wellness released the statistics this evening and here’s a breakdown by Kathleen Azueta-Cho. […]
As we reported earlier in the newscast, India’s vaccine diplomacy continues in full swing. Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the hundred thousand Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine doses. In a letter to PM Modi, Mottley said, “on behalf of my government and people, I wish to express gratitude to […]
And in today’s COVID-stats, there are seven new confirmed cases of the virus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to twelve thousand one hundred and fourteen for the country. Fortunately, no new deaths were reported today so that total stands at three hundred and thirteen. The Ministry of Health and Wellness confirmed this evening […]
On Tuesday, reports started circulating that two Belize City councillors had tested positive for COVID-19 and that one was hospitalized at the K.H.M.H. When we checked with the city council, they responded that they did not have any knowledge of it. Today, it seems they did. Councillor Javier Castellanos did test positive and had been […]
