We have completed 28 days since Belize's last confirmed case of COVID-19, and, tonight after hundreds of tests later, it's safe to say that the country's first wave of COVID-19 infections is over.
We take a look back now at how Belize flattened its curve starting at its peak, that dark and harrowing easter weekend that gave the entire nation pause. Cherisse Halsall reports:
It's been 28 Days since Belize confirmed its last case of COVID-19 and back then, over the canceled Easter weekend, the country was coming off what, to date has been its most traumatic weekend.
On Good Friday we went from the sudden appearance to the sudden death of Patient #10 Conrad Everett.
By Sunday there were 4 more cases bringing the total to 14 cases. And by Monday there were another 4 bringing it to 18,
The succession of that sudden death followed by the confirmation of 8 more cases left Belize slack jawed, and even the Prime Minister under quarantine
It was also the week that many of us started going out in face shields - fearing community spread
Since then Belize has become a society be-masked.
But 593 more tests have been done in those 4 weeks, all yielding negative results. And on Friday DHS Dr. Manzanero confirmed that today, in the absence of a confirmed case, is Belize's 28th day.
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director Of Health Service
"If we go through this weekend and Monday we are back here and we don't identify any case, again, we are going to be doing testing tomorrow and Monday - we would have gone through a full 28 day cycle, which means we have gone through 2 incubation periods of SARS Covid2 for us to be able to say that it doesn't seem we have any active ongoing transmission in Belize. We won't say we are Covid-19 free, we would say that we have gone through our first wave."
From shell shocked empty streets and mask-wearing germaphobes to a society wanting to shake off the COVID shackles - perhaps prematurely at this party police had to break up last night…
And while we wait for the go ahead to swarm these inviting beaches, and leave it not only to the birds
The looming threat of COVID-19, is alive well and spiking in all of our neighbouring countries.
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director Of Health Service
"We cannot lose sight of what's happening in Mexico that's having escalating numbers, their curve continue to grow, Guatemala continues to report increasing numbers as thus Honduras and El Salvador and so we are right now in a bubble I would say, because all countries in the region are having increasing numbers."
So, the message is sustained vigilance.
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