And those constantly high numbers are part of the reason why the K.H.M.H, the hospital has instituted a new policy when it comes to COVID tests.
As of today, every person admitted for treatment will have to undergo a COVID 19 rapid test; they will also have to be prepared to undergo a PCR test to confirm a positive. It's just one more measure being used to safeguard the health of patients and staff at this critical master link in the healthcare chain of service.
It's a measure that the acting Director of Medical Services says was brought on due to risks posed by asymptomatic COVID patients.
Cherisse Halsall "Now Dr. Coye in the Press release that we received this morning we got the information that from this point forward every admission to the KHMH will receive a rapid test, which that patient would have to be prepared and know that, that confirmatory PCR test and why that has become at this point."
Dr. Adrian Coye - Acting Director of Medical Services "Ok well as we all know we have a pandemic for COVID and of course in Belize it has been an epidemic and it's on its journey to being endemic as well, so to say that it means we have a community spread many patients actually are Asymptomatic carriers and therefore when we come to manage at Karl Heusner when we have them in our midst we have the hospital divided into a COVID treating area and a non-COVID area so our aim is not to have patients with COVID enter into the non-COVID treating area and it's important to know that the diagnosis has a clinical impact as well not only for the patient because we know that patients who do have COVID may have higher risk related to cervical procedures and other things and therefore we want to be able to identify these patients with the diagnosis and of course we want to have them in appropriate areas of the hospital related to that to minimize the risk for exposure to other patients and also- exposure to our staff."
