BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Apr. 15. 2021– Over the past two days, The Ministry of Health and Wellness has recorded daily positivity rates above 1.00 for the first time in several weeks. Of note, this slight increase in cases is occurring just a little over a week after the Easter holiday. The increased travel and social activity had been expected to result in an increased number of new infections.
The inoculation program, however, is still in full effect. During an interview this past week, Minister of Health and Wellness Hon. Michel Chebat told local media that at least 7% of our population has been vaccinated to date. That number continues to increase each day, as more persons who were designated as eligible to receive the vaccine during the three opened phases continue to get immunized.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness is calling all persons who qualify to reach out to authorized centers to begin their immunization process.
Recent data released by the Ministry of Health and Wellness shows that a total of 29,939 persons have been vaccinated since the start of the campaign.
New Covid-19 regulations were signed into law by Minister Chebat on Tuesday. The curfew will remain in place, with the curfew period from Sunday to Thursday continuing to extend from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., while on Fridays and Saturdays, the curfew period has been shortened and now extends from midnight to 5:00 a.m. Casinos have been reopened as well.
Persons in some quarters are now calling for the reopening of sporting activities after more than a year of restrictions on contact sports.
Since the start of the pandemic in Belize, a total of 12,529 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been identified. Of that number, a total of 12,141 persons have recovered. To date, a total of 60 cases remain active.
A total of 318 persons have passed away as a result of Covid-19 in Belize.
On April 15, the data revealed a total of 7 new cases from a batch of 1059 tests conducted. One person was marked as recovered, and on that day no additional deaths due to the virus were recorded. A total of two hospitalizations were also recorded on that day.
On Wednesday, April 14, the teams from the Ministry of Health and Wellness recorded a total of 749 tests, which resulted in the confirmation of 9 new cases — a daily positivity rate of 1.20. Three recoveries were recorded and 116 cases were under investigation. Three persons were hospitalized, none of whom were in need of intensive care. No new death was recorded.
On Tuesday, April 13, a total of 10 new infections were found in a batch of 906 tests processed — a positivity rate of 1.11%. Three recoveries were recorded and a total of 103 cases of possible infection were under investigation. No new death was recorded and no persons were admitted to an intensive care unit on that day. Three persons were hospitalized.
The Covid-19 virus continues to lay siege on the countries of the world. In Brazil, the third most impacted country globally, officials have started to record a number of Covid-19-related deaths of babies and young children, the most vulnerable being black children.
In India, a second deadly wave is taking the trending upward, as that country records above 150,000 cases a day. Recently, that country opted to reopen workplaces, malls, and transportation fully to the public. Weddings, festivals, and election rallies have also been taking place, causing widespread infection. The result is currently being described as a Covid-19 tsunami in the country.
Globally, the USA, India, Brazil, France, and the Russian Federation are the top five countries in terms of the number of confirmed cases of infections.
On the vaccine front, a recent study from Oxford University, one of the partners in the creation of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, found that the percentage of people who receive blood clots after being administered their vaccine is roughly equal to the percentage of persons who develop blood clots after receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
“According to the study, 4 in 1 million people experience cerebral venous thrombosis after getting the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, versus 5 in 1 million people for the AstraZeneca vaccine,” Yahoo News reports.
Globally, since the start of the pandemic, a total of 137,866,311 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been identified. Of that number, 2,965,707 deaths have been reported to WHO. A total of 734,121,870 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.