Haiti Records 98 Cases Of COVID-19 Within A One-Day Period

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, May 18, 2020 (CMC) – Haiti has recorded nearly 100 cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19), during the past 24 hours, as the number of cases in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country jumped to 456.

The Ministry of Public Health disclosed that the 98 cases, in which the majority were men, “is the largest number of cases recorded in 24 hours, since the first case in Haiti”, on March 19, this year.

It revealed that the number of people recovered from the virus is 21 and those killed stand at 20.

The Health Ministry said that the number of active cases in the country stands at 415, with 253 people hospitalised and 162 in quarantine at home.

The authorities, here, are urging people to continue to follow the measures, outlined to prevent the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, the group, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), over the last weekend, opened a facility for the management of persons, who have tested positive for the virus.

“The Drouillard Care Center is launching its activities, with a capacity of 20 beds, and will be able to accommodate up to 45 beds, depending on the evolution of the situation. It will take care of patients, tested positive for COVID-19, who need hospitalization or oxygen, referred by the Ministry of Public Health and Population. The triage team will assess spontaneous admissions, based on established criteria,” MSF said in a statement.

It noted it had already provided protective equipment to its staff and set up triage and isolation spaces, to “avoid possible contagions with patients, who would have symptoms related to Covid-19”.

MSF Chief of Mission, Hassan Issa, said “the urgency to intervene, to respond to this epidemic, forced us to reorient the activities of the hospital of the burned victims. We can only count on the resources that are onsite and the staff at our disposal”.

MSF said that it was also urging the population to end the “stigmatization of the sick and the health care staff, “in order to guarantee access to care for everyone”.