Two elderly patients (male and female) with respiratory complications were airlifted to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) on Wednesday, August 26th. Both patients were swabbed for COVID-19 and then transferred via an air ambulance from the Belize Emergency Response Team (BERT).
The aircraft had to make two separate trips between the island and Belize City, as it did not have enough space for two patients. The medical personnel at the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II saw the need for their transfer to the KHMH, where they have better resources to help them with their respiratory problems. The symptoms are highly suspected to be caused by COVID-19, but that can only be known after their samples have been processed for the deadly virus.
As each patient was taken to the BERT aircraft, family members were able to watch from a distance. They are optimistic of the recovery of their relatives.
San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye continues to be the epicentre of the pandemic in Belize. The latest update on cases on the island from the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 11 new cases for the island on Wednesday. The total amount for San Pedro now stands at 224 active cases.
MOH continues to ask citizens to sanitize their hands properly, wear their masks, and to stay at home as much as possible. When one must be in public, the MOH urges them to practice social distancing.