BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Apr. 22, 2021– The Ministry of Health and Wellness is bracing for the third wave of Covid-19 infections within the country of Belize. This past week the Minister of Health and Wellness said that the increased travel and interaction during the Easter holiday could have contributed to the slight increase in cases that the country is currently seeing.
At this time the vaccination program continues, with three phases being open at this time. Members of the country security apparatus, including BDF soldiers, Coast Guard officers, and members of the Red Cross are now being called to get their first shot.
Also, those people over the age of 50 with comorbidities are asked to reach out to the healthcare facilities to get vaccinated. Recently, the Prime Minister, Hon. John Briceño, and some officials from the Government of Belize visited various healthcare facilities across the country.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness has also launched a Covid-19 vaccination app. The launch of the app was announced on April 21. According to Ministry officials, the app is expected to make the vaccination process for citizens smoother. Persons will now be able to sign up for vaccination using the app, after which they will receive an approval text message and a subsequent appointment date. As mentioned, the Ministry hopes that this app will make the process of getting vaccinated easier and thus result in the vaccination of more citizens.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, a total of 12,296 cases have been confirmed, and about 113,007 persons have been tested in the country. At this time, there are currently 102 active cases in Belize, and a total of 12,164 recoveries have been recorded. To date, a total of 320 fatalities due to the virus have been recorded, with 211 of the persons who passed away being men and 109 women. As of Wednesday, April 21, 2021, a total of 37,097 persons have been vaccinated countrywide.
On April 22, 2021, the Ministry of Health and Wellness reported a total of 11 cases from a batch of 726 tests conducted. No additional recoveries were recorded and 5 persons were hospitalized. Unfortunately, the Ministry announced that there were two more COVID-19-related deaths. The persons who died were both men — one from the Belize District and the other from Cayo.
On April 21, a total of 17 new cases were identified from a batch of 613 tests. Three persons were marked as recovered and 1 person who required intensive care was hospitalized. Seven others battling Covid-19 were also hospitalized. No new COVID-19 death was recorded on that day.
On Tuesday, April 20, the teams from the Ministry identified a total of 10 new cases from a batch of 494 tests that were conducted on that day. Five persons were marked as recovered and 6 infected persons were hospitalized, with one person being in need of intensive care. No new death was recorded.
Over the weekend, from April 17th to the 19th, a total of 20 new cases were found in 1378 samples processed. A total of 13 recoveries were recorded over that period. Of the 4 hospitalizations logged, 1 person needed intensive care. No new death related to the virus was recorded on that day
And, on Friday, April 16, 711 tests were processed, and 9 new cases were identified. Two recoveries were recorded and 3 persons required hospitalization. No new death related to COVID-19 was recorded.
Globally, Latin America continues to lead the world in Covid-19-related deaths despite having a smaller population than other regions. Inequalities in these countries have led to both a health and humanitarian crisis, brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Leaders of Latin American countries have recently made a call for a more equitable distribution of vaccines among those states.
Across the pond, the UK has banned the entry of non-UK or Irish residents from India. This is as the new double variant, known as B.1.617, takes hold of the country (India) and begins to spread across the globe. The number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths in India has been soaring. Recently the country has seen the highest number of confirmed daily cases worldwide, surpassing the USA.
The country will be placed on the UK’s “red list” on Friday, April 23, 2021 starting at 4:00 BST.
Globally, a total of 143,445,675 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO). Of that number, a total of 3,051,736 deaths have been reported to the WHO. As of 22nd April 2021, a total of 889,990,259 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide.