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Is COVID-19 becoming endemic? Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa explains.

HighlightsIs COVID-19 becoming endemic? Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa explains.

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Jan. 19, 2022– Reports from the country’s Epidemiology Unit have confirmed that Belize is currently in the midst of the fourth wave of COVID-19, and in an effort to answer pressing questions regarding the spread of the much milder but much more transmissible Omicron variant, Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa, who served as the Acting Director of Health Services and is Deputy Manager of the Central Health Region, spent some time speaking with the media today. According to Musa, Belize is currently approaching the peak of its fourth wave. It is predicted that the peak will reach a plateau within the next few days and that a rapid decrease in cases should follow. Data from the Epidemiology Unit is also indicating that the country will likely see a pre-Omicron number of cases by early to mid-February. These predictions, says Dr. Diaz-Musa, are encouraging, but they are also based on the current health measures that are in place across the country.

“We’ve got to keep in mind that these predictions are based on the measures that are in place right now. So, if everything remains the same—our public health measures remain the same, our work measures remain the same—we should see a peak very soon,” she stated.

And while the country has been seeing record-breaking numbers of COVID-19 cases over the past few days, most infected persons have reportedly been experiencing mild symptoms. Hospitalizations and ICU admissions have decreased as well. Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa also pointed out that the country’s overall case fatality rate has decreased from 3 to 1.5 this year. Many persons believe that these are indications that COVID-19 is on its way to becoming endemic—meaning, it will always be present in the world’s population but its impact will be much less severe and less disruptive.

Dr. Musa agreed that COVID-19 is likely on the way to becoming endemic, but when asked what this means for the future, and whether Belize will follow in the footsteps of the UK, which recently announced its decision to abolish mask mandates, she stated that it is far too early to decide.

What health officials do know, is that the Omicron variant has finally been officially identified in Belize. Forty-two samples were recently sent out for genomic sequencing, and 83% of them were identified as Omicron, while the rest were identified as the Delta variant. But despite the majority of current cases appearing to be a result of the much milder variant, Musa says we shouldn’t get too relaxed too soon.

“It’s very important for us to stress, from the Ministry of Health & Wellness as well, that when you get infected, you don’t know what variant you’re going to get infected with,” she stated.

She stressed that while one person might experience mild COVID-19 symptoms, they could still easily pass the virus on to someone with a higher chance of having a severe reaction. She also warned that while Omicron is milder, not taking precautions could still end up putting a strain on the healthcare system.

Dr. Melissa Diaz-Musa also commented that data continues to show that vaccines reduce the severity of infection and the chances of hospitalization or death.

Where vaccination numbers are concerned, recent reports show that as of the 17th of January, 212,080 persons (or 49.3% of the population) have received at least one dose of a vaccine while 201,930 persons (46.9%) have been fully vaccinated. In the case of Belizeans ages twelve to seventeen, 24,683 have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Over 24,905 booster shots have been administered to date.

Currently, there are over 338,000 vaccines available in the country.

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