Coronavirus: first death in Haiti in a persistent climate of mistrust

Text by: Amélie Baron Follow

Haiti recorded its first death due to the pandemic on Sunday. Health authorities have confirmed this news while in the densely populated Caribbean country measures to prevent the spread are very difficult if not impossible to apply.

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From our correspondent in Port-au-Prince

The first Haitian victim of the Covid-19 is a 55-year-old man. In announcing this death, the Ministry of Health clarified that this person suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes. She was one of the 21 cases officially listed in Haiti but, this figure is questioned by many because the country has carried out very few tests: 218 only since the announcement of the first case, more than three weeks ago.

Today, this state word is widely questioned among the population. The grounds for contesting the Haitian authorities have not disappeared with the epidemic. Distrust of the government, suspected of corruption for almost two years, is growing and many Haitians say they do not believe a word of official releases.

The complete absence of details as to how the sick contracted the virus also accentuates this feeling, some Haitians even accusing the authorities of lying about the figures in order to extract international aid.

► Read also: Faced with the absent State, Haiti is trying to organize

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• Haiti
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