And according to Dr. Goff, the Belizeans who are most at risk of hospitalization or death from COVID are currently being neglected by the country's public health sector, which is struggling under the weight of the high COVID numbers.
In his comments to the press today, Goff said that the persons struggling with co-morbidities aren't getting the kind of medical attention they need, which then puts them at a higher risk of dying from COVID, should they end up catching it.
Here's how he explained why:
Dr. George Goff - Medical Professional
"We have observed in this third wave that there have been recent closures of our different health institutions, and we have seen that he has left out the elderly, the chronic, and the public at large without access to the normal healthcare that they should be receiving. And keep in mind that it's only about 15% - I would now want to dare say 10% - that can afford access to healthcare in the private sector. We still need to look after the 90%, and that 90% has now lost access to healthcare. I'm not talking COVID. I'm talking in relation to COVID, and what that has done, it has created a vicious circle because most of the people who go to the hospitals are not the 20-year-old, not the 30-year-old. [They] are the chronic, the people who are 40, 50 with underlining conditions, and these people are no longer being able to access our public institutions because COVID has taken priority. This has led to the surge, as you all know, and observing the numbers that are put out every day by the government, you can see the clear reality where the chronic and the elderly are ultimately paying the price. This is something we call on them because we strongly feel, as the past administration - and the administration in waiting - that the physical resources and the human resources could be handled in a much better way."
