M.O.H.W. Says “Covid is Here to Stay”  

Recently, there’s been a rise in COVID cases and respiratory illnesses in Belize. According to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the cases are not severe, and the increase is to be expected at this time of year. We spoke with Director of the Epidemiology Unit, Russell Manzanero, who told us that COVID is here to stay.

 

Russell Manzanero, Director, Epidemiology Unit, M.O.H.W.

“We have covid. Definitely. Covid is here. Covid won’t go away. Covid is here to stay. As with all the other respiratory and influenza viruses, it is here. So definitely the measures that we need to do has to be the same. Cough etiquette, hand hygiene that has to continue. As for the severity of cases with covid, we’re not seeing that severe cases. We’re not seeing hospitalized patients. But yes, we have ongoing transmission of covid. We have seen an increase of cases in the past weeks, so definitely there is still a measure that we need to be doing.”

 

Britney Gordon

“What do you think contributes to the increase that we see at certain periods during the year and what can we do to minimize that?”

 

Russell Manzanero

“Influenza viruses or respiratory viruses tend to have their peaks. Yes We usually see it at the beginning or the ending of the year. It contributes somehow with the with how the conditions are with climate it’s also a factor of how we do with movement of people, the interaction we have between our networks. So definitely if you see right now it’s on the lower end, but the moment we start going back to school and everybody start going in, you’re going to see that rise in cases again. Definitely, that’s why we recommend that you get the vaccines for influenza pretty much in the last part of the year, early part of the years for the same reasons that you start seeing those increases.”