A senior health official in Dominica is calling on the public to respect and adhere to the protocols put in place at the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital (DCFH) to help combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
That call comes from the Medical Director at the hospital, Dr. Ruby Blanc.
According to Dr. Blanc, the lack of compliance by certain members with COVID-19 protocols remains a serious matter of concern to them.
“There are still members of the public who do not respect the protocols that have been put in place, some persons are extremely disrespectful to the staff at the gate and others use deception to gain access to the compound,” she stated.
The policies and protocols she explained were not to inconvenience (you), but for “the protection of yourselves, staff, and patients, so please work with us.”
She revealed that according to the data regarding patient admissions and Covid-19 from the hospital between August 5 and September 7, 2021, 113 patients were found, either on admission or during admission, to be “COVID-19 positive.”
“We see that the majority of these positive patients, (35 of them), were admitted directly to the isolation unit at the hospital.”
“The Acute Psychiatric Unit (APU) recorded 32 positive patients and that was followed by the Maternity Unit with 22 positive patients…12 patients came from the Imary Ward, 7 from Glover Ward, 2 from the Nursery and 1 patient each from the Dawbiney Ward, Accident and Emergency Department and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” Dr. Blanc revealed.
She said of the 113 positive patients only 7% were fully vaccinated; another 4% were partially vaccinated which left 89% who were unvaccinated.
“We clearly see a correlation between a patient’s positivity and their vaccination status when we look at these figures,” she stated.
Dr. Blanc also revealed, five (5) COVID-19 associated deaths were recorded at the COVID Isolation Unit and the DCFH between August 5 and September 27, and 4 of these patients (80%) were unvaccinated while one was vaccinated.
Vaccination she explains plays “a critical role” in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and issued a fresh call to those who have not been vaccinated to “do so at the soonest.”
She also appealed to healthcare workers to “get vaccinated”.
“A vaccinated healthcare worker makes the workplace safer for themselves, their colleagues, and patients under their care,” she stated.
Meantime, the latest statistics released show Dominica with 481 active cases and the death toll moving to 24.
