Coronavirus in Haiti: experts fear more than 20,000 dead

Text by: Amélie Baron Follow

The Covid-19 epidemic is still in its infancy in Haiti: according to the last official report, published Thursday, the Caribbean country has identified only 72 cases including 5 patients who died from complications related to the virus. But experts worry about the potential heavy human toll: according to their projections, more than 20,000 Haitians could die from the coronavirus.

Publicity

From our correspondent in Port-au-Prince,

“  Wash your hands and wear a mask. Authorities keep repeating these guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus. The scientific unit set up by the government last month held its first press conference on Friday and the epidemiologist Patrick Dely presented the worrying projections for the coming weeks.

"  In an ideal scenario, in the best possible scenario, we predict about 2,000 deaths but, depending on the evolution of the situation, we can take these forecasts and multiply them by five, by ten. And in a catastrophic setting, we can go beyond 20,000 deaths,  ”he believes.

The barrier measures of confinement and social distancing are a luxury that the poorest inhabitants of Haiti unfortunately cannot afford.

By demonstrating this week against the measures to restrict their activities, traders in the informal markets of Pétionville coldly summed up the situation. Their slogan: "  Dying of hunger or dying from coronavirus, we made our choice  ".

► Read also: Coronavirus in Haiti: life goes almost normal

Our selection on SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

• Listen to Coronavirus Info , daily chronicle on the pandemic

• Explanation:  The origins of the Covid-19

• Analyzes:
→  What strategies to face the epidemic ?
→  A vaccine, the only solution to stem the pandemic?
→  What impact on conflict zones?

• Practical questions:
→  What is known about the mode of contagion
→  What results for ongoing clinical trials?
→  How to make a mask and use it well

Find all our articles, reports, chronicles and programs on the coronavirus by clicking here .

See also the files of RFI Savoirs  on the Covid-19:
•  Birth of a pandemic
•  Everyday life put to the test
•  The history of epidemics
•  The science facing the Covid-19
•  The geopolitical consequences

Newsletter With the Daily Newsletter, find the headlines directly in your mailbox

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

• Haiti
• Coronavirus
• Health and Medicine
• Containment

On the same subject

Coronavirus in Haiti: Life Goes Almost Normal

Textile factories reopen in Haiti despite coronavirus

Haiti: warning against corruption for funds to fight the coronavirus