Coronavirus: Haiti exceeds the threshold of 500 confirmed cases, the epidemic is accelerating

Text by: Achim Lippold Follow

According to Alterpresse, the contagions "dangerously spread" in Haiti. More than 500 cases have been officially identified, including 170 in two days. How are the population and the public authorities reacting? Interview with Gotson Pierre, editor-in-chief of the online agency Alterpresse.

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RFI: In a few days, the spread of the Coronavirus accelerated in Haiti. What is the current health situation ?

Gotson Pierre:  The bar of 500 confirmed cases has been crossed. 533 people tested positive for coronavirus, including 170 in the past two days. We can therefore say that the spread of the epidemic is accelerating. The department of the West where the capital Port-au-Prince is located concentrates the majority of contaminations, it is the epicenter of the epidemic in Haiti with 75% of the cases recorded. However, these data should be taken with caution. Even health officials believe that you need to multiply the number of confirmed cases by ten to get close to the real number of infections. It must be said that if the screening capacity remains limited, many people refuse to be tested.

How is the population reacting to the increase in contamination cases ?

There is always a lot of disbelief about the disease, to which is added a certain fear and also a feeling of trivialization. People think that the coronavirus cannot finally reach them personally. And yet they do not lack messages and warnings from the authorities and health officials, who warn the population against the real danger of the epidemic and who constantly hammer that it is necessary to take this disease seriously because it does exist! But many people continue not to believe it. And this when we begin to record a lot of cases in lower-income neighborhoods. Faced with the spread of Covid-19, some people speak of an “  epidemic of fever  ”. I myself have been able to obtain testimonies to that effect. People who have symptoms of coronavirus but prefer to talk about "fever". They take herbal teas to heal but do not necessarily declare themselves. According to Dr. Jean Hugues Henrys, member of the scientific committee (responsible for collecting information related to Covid-19 and making recommendations to the authorities), with whom I spoke a few days ago, a community strategy is needed. We must raise awareness of the risk of the virus, go to the neighborhoods and talk with people, we must have a field approach rather than centralized management at the national level.

Sign of the acceleration of the epidemic, cases are also multiplying in companies and public institutions.

In the national public health laboratory, which is the main screening center, an employee tested positive. The national direction of drinking water is another affected public structure, its director announced to have been tested positive after the contamination of a driver of this administration. The driver also died. Media are also affected by the Covid-19, like the chain Radio Télé Ginen, as well as a senator.

As the new coronavirus spreads across the country, the president commemorated the 217 years of the national flag. No displacement this time but a speech delivered at the National Palace, calling for unity and criticizing the so-called "  system led by a small group  " which would be responsible for the delay taken by the country in terms of its development . What should we take away from this speech?

The speech takes up the structure of the speeches of recent times. The president justifies his action and rejects the responsibility on others, in particular on this "  small group  " which embodies the "  system  ", without giving more details. He defended himself from carrying out a policy which goes against the population, he said in particular that he looked so much like "little people" that he could not ignore their interests. He also attacked his opponents and made perhaps the most important announcement in the speech, that he would soon start the electoral process and called on his opponents to go to the elections. So we do not know what elections he is talking about, but we assume that these are legislative and municipal elections which may be followed by presidential elections, because in less than a year and a half the presidential term will expire .

The president who also defended his management of the coronavirus crisis.

On social networks, certain reactions pointed to the absence in his speech of any compassion and sympathy towards the victims of Covid-19 and their families. It should also be noted that part of the speech was a little confused compared to the announcements by the health authorities on the coronavirus. According to Jovenel Moïse, one cannot assimilate all fever, all flu to Covid-19. In the current context, does not making such comments help to trivialize the disease? You should know that epidemiologists, including those of the Ministry of Public Health, have declared that there are no other epidemics on the national territory. These statements are in fact intended to correct the words of those who continue to deny the existence of the coronavirus by speaking of an "  epidemic of fever  ".

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→  The geopolitical consequences

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• Coronavirus
• Health and Medicine