Belize
Authorities deny visiting Chinese national had contracted coronavirus
Published:Thursday | January 30, 2020 | 12:15 AM
BELMOPAN (CMC):
Health authorities here have denied reports that a visiting Chinese national had contracted the deadly coronavirus that has killed more than 100 people in the Asian country.
The Ministry of Health said that the unidentified visitor had been screened and was given the all clear, after residents in Caye Caulker, a small limestone coral island off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea, began complaining that the visiting Chinese national had contracted the virus.
Director of Health Services Dr Marvin Manzanero said investigations in the area had shown that many people had exhibited symptoms of the common flu, such as dry cough, fever, and body aches.
“That’s what is being documented as more information becomes available; that it may be other symptoms. When we reviewed the mortality situation, we found out that most of the patients that died had other chronic diseases – diabetes, hypertension – and it seemed to be older patients that were dying. I think the average (age) of those, when we reviewed the data last week, was 65.”
The Ministry of Health said it has activated its National Surveillance Team to monitor the coronavirus outbreak, and that led to the detection of the suspected case on the island of Caye Caulker.
Media reports said the tourist from Beijing, China, arrived in the country on January 27 and exhibited flu-like symptoms.
“We carried out a full investigation on this case. The patient is a young man visiting from Beijing, China. He arrived at the Philip Goldson International Airport and went straight to Caye Caulker,” said Melinda Guerra, the regional health manager of the Central Health Region.
“The rumours were out there that this patient had signs and symptoms of coronavirus. So immediately, we launched an investigation and the patient was examined, had a physical examination by our medical officer there … and it was determined that the patient is not ill. The patient does not have fever, cough or any signs of respiratory illness.”