BELIZE CITY, Tues. June 23, 2020– On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that there has been the largest single-day spike in COVID-19 around the world, with 189,000 new cases. Most of the new reported cases are in the so-called developing world.

WHO, however, warned the developed countries, which are now opening up their economies, to be on the lookout for a second wave of COVID-19.

The coronavirus spike on Monday did not spare Belize, where the Ministry of Health has been able to keep COVID-19 at bay; one new case has been reported. This new case brings the country’s number of positive coronavirus cases to a modest 23.

Patient 23, as the Ministry of Health has dubbed the young woman who flew into the country last Friday on a flight from the U.S. state of Texas, is reported to be asymptomatic.

Over 40 other repatriated Belizeans arrived on the flight along with Patient 23.  This is the fifth asymptomatic case in Belize since the 53 days the country was COVID-19 free, until that stretch was broken with the positive test result of patient 19, who is a repatriated cruise ship employee.

“A total of 45 samples were processed today (on Monday) and it is among those tests that the latest COVID-19 case was confirmed,” said a post on the Director of Health Services Facebook page.

The post went on to say that the young woman (whose age was not revealed) went into immediate quarantine upon arrival, as part of the established protocol.