Photo: Testing for COVID-19
by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Tues. July 23, 2024
It has been approximately four years since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which paralyzed the globe, causing the loss of millions of lives as well as devastating economies and overwhelming healthcare systems.
According to statistics, as of April 2024, a total of 7,010,681 deaths caused by COVID-19 have been registered worldwide, while Belize had a total of 71,409 cases, with 688 deaths registered.
It has been more than a year since the end of the pandemic was officially declared, but there have been growing fears among members of the public due to the recent rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in certain countries, including the U.S. and Belize.
The Belize District, which encompasses Belize City and the cayes — where tourist activity is concentrated—is the section of the country in which the most cases have been found.
Infected persons who are receiving medical treatment for the virus are primarily individuals who are classified as being in a high-risk group, such as the elderly and pregnant women. Currently, the number of cases and the types of symptoms being observed are not severe enough to classify the increase in COVID cases as an outbreak. Notably, there are also other viruses currently circulating, including influenza and RSV, which could also cause severe symptoms that require hospitalization.
According to the Director of the Epidemiology Unit at the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW), Dr. Russell Manzanero, the Ministry has seen a steady increase in the number of COVID cases over the past four to six weeks, particularly among individuals working the productive sector (those in the working category).
Dr. Manzanero explained that while the majority of cases are being seen among those of the primary working age—between 15 and 50 years old—elderly members of the community are also contracting the virus.
”You are seeing an increase of cases in the older population, too. This means that, perhaps, what we would see is that these individuals who are working and everything, are going back home to their grandma and grandpa and then they might be transmitting that. They themselves might not be with symptoms or a slight flu, but then the older individuals might be affected a little bit more,” he said.
Already, there have been a couple of elderly persons hospitalized and placed on oxygen therapy so that their condition can be stabilized.
As a result, Dr. Manzanero advises those who are suffering from flu-like symptoms not to take it lightly, but to get themselves tested, and practice preventative measures, especially if they are living with high-risk individuals, which includes the elderly, pregnant women, and children.
“There are things that can be done there, but the public also has a part to do with the hand hygiene, and the cough etiquette. If you know you really feel bad and you cannot make it to work, it is upon the employer, actually, to understand the conditions like that. And the individuals have to be responsible to know that, ‘I’m really sick, I should not be going in today,’” he added.
Though an outbreak is not projected at this time, Manzanero believes that Belizeans should be concerned not only about COVID, but also about influenza, which could also potentially be deadly if untreated.