The last COVID-19 report for this week on Friday, October 29th, ended in favor of recoveries compared to the confirmed infections. Throughout the week, reports have been fluctuating, and although reports indicate most of the days showing more recoveries, the current COVID-19 wave is yet to peak. Recently San Pedro Town has reported single-digit COVID-19 confirmed cases; however, doctors caution this does not mean the situation is returning to normal, warning that the pandemic is far from over.
Dr. Joshua A Canul at the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II stated that more recoveries than confirmed cases might bring relief to those following the situation in Belize, but the decrease in daily confirmed cases could also indicate that fewer people are getting tested for COVID-19. Some patients prefer to weather the illness at home, and it isn’t until they are very sick that they seek medical attention. Thus, the daily reports may not show a clear picture of the actual number of infections in the country.
The numbers for October 29th show 173 confirmed cases and 235 recoveries. Compared to the other days, no deaths were reported, and the toll remains at 491. The number of hospitalizations went down from 41 to 33, and 14 remain in the Intensive Care Unit. The most affected continue to be those unvaccinated. Of 33 hospitalized, 19 are unvaccinated, and eight of the patients in the ICU have not received any dose of the vaccine.
In San Pedro, for a second consecutive day, the number of confirmed cases is below ten. Authorities on the island have heightened their testing campaign by opening a second testing site designated for asymptomatic patients. The vaccination campaign continues its mission to get as many islanders vaccinated as possible. Dr. Canul informed that fewer people have been showing up at the vaccination center by the Lions Den. Despite the notable decrease, the numbers of fully vaccinated San Pedranos continue to inch closer to 10,000. Health authorities believe they can reach that mark by next week, making half of the island’s population fully vaccinated.
The vaccines available in Belize include Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Sinopharm. They are free of cost and available countrywide. The government asks the public to continue cooperating and adhering to the health protocols (handwashing, social distancing, face mask-wearing) to subdue the rate of infections which could lead to the easing of restrictions such as the 9PM curfew.
