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COVID-19 pandemic in Haiti

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COVID-19 pandemic in Haiti
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationHaiti
Index casePort-au-Prince
Arrival date19 March 2020
(4 years, 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days)
Confirmed cases88[1][2]
Active cases69
Suspected cases‡938
Recovered10[2]
Deaths
9[2]
Government website
mspp.gouv.ht
‡Suspected cases have not been confirmed by laboratory tests as being due to this strain, although some other strains may have been ruled out.

The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached Haiti in March 2020. The index case was in Port-au-Prince. As of 2 May 2020, there are 85 total confirmed cases, 67 active cases, 935 suspected cases, with 8 deaths and 10 recoveries.[3]

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.[4][5]

The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003,[6][7] but the transmission has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll.[8][6]

A 2019 study reported that for a population of more than 11 million, Haiti only has an estimated 124 Intensive care unit (ICU) beds and 64 ventilators.[9]

Timeline

16–19 March

On 16 March, at midnight local time, Haiti's Prime Minister, Joseph Jouthe, announced a two-week suspension of flights from Europe, Canada, the Dominican Republic, and Latin America.[10]

On 19 March, the first two COVID-19 cases in the country were confirmed.[11]

5–12 April

On 5 April, the country confirmed its first death from COVID-19.[12][13]

On 9 April, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a US$20 million grant for the Haiti COVID-19 Response Project.[14]

On 12 April, The Intercept wrote that "the Haitian government has closed schools and most factories and is encouraging people to adopt social distancing measures."[15]

15 April

On 15 April 2020 the Prime Minister of Haiti Joseph Jouthe announced that Haiti would reopen textile factories the following Monday 20 April.[16][17] Textiles account for 90 percent of Haiti's exports, and the industry would resume at 30 percent capacity to ensure workplace social distancing.[16] The Miami Herald wrote that Jouthe's messaging "seems counter to what the regional health experts are telling countries in the region,"[17] noting that Pan American Health Organization Director Carissa Etienne had warned that social distancing "remains our best bet to reduce transmission and slow the spread of the virus" and stated that "COVID-19 has yet to hit with full force in our region, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, and we expect it to intensify in the next few weeks," and that "the rise in hospitalizations and deaths we see in some countries highlights how quickly the situation could change."[17]

Analysis & commentary

The Grayzone on 30 March 2020 wrote[18] that

Unemployment in Haiti is already sky-high. With 6 million of Haiti’s 11 million citizens living below the poverty line of $2.41 a day, according to the World Bank, most will face a grueling dilemma of how to feed themselves and their families while avoiding virus infection... According to Haiti’s most read newspaper, Le Nouvelliste, the country has only 130 ICU beds, and most of these are older models.

Dr. Paul Farmer, a co-founder of the Boston-based health care organization Partners in Health, has suggested Haiti may actually have fewer than 30 fully functioning ICU beds. Meanwhile there are an estimated 64 ventilators inside the country, though some are likely not working... Battered by years of man-made and natural disasters, Haiti faces another historical ordeal with few resources to shoulder it. Sidelined and repressed by a US-imposed political apparatus, the poor majority will bear the brunt of the coronavirus. [18]

CounterPunch on 1 April 2020 wrote[9] that

Although Haiti's resources are limited, the government response needs to incorporate economic relief for the population, especially for street vendors, factory workers, and small business owners, many of whom rely on the informal economy to make a living. The government, however, has thus far relied on monetary policy ― increasing access to credit through the central bank and relaxing repayment schedules. This, however, is likely to have only a limited impact for the vast majority of Haitians. Without greater international assistance, it is unlikely the government will have the fiscal resources available to properly support the population throughout the crisis. Price gouging has already started, putting a strain on an already fragile population. This is partly due to the fact that the Haitian food supply depends largely on imports, which are likely to decline during the current situation. While the government has announced measures to ensure food distribution, it must make a priority of protecting consumers from price spikes. This also presents an opportunity to invest in and expand the agricultural sector, which could provide stability for farmers and sellers, and increase national production. It is imperative to recognize that the Haitian state’s inability to adequately respond to the crisis is tied to a legacy of foreign domination, occupation, and exploitation, and to decades of foreign aid policies that have eroded the state’s capacity. Nevertheless, it is increasingly clear, as with the 2010 earthquake, that the Haitian government will not be able to adequately respond to the current crisis without increased support from the international community.[9]

Richard Frechette, a 67-year-old physician and Roman Catholic priest from the United States who is working in Haiti,[19] stated in an article published on 9 April 2020 that

My sister in the United States, sheltering in her place, is enjoying swordfish and salmon every night and playing scrabble. But for here, somebody having to shelter in a place with no chance to go on the streets and hustle to make enough money to live for today, means that tonight they are going to be sitting on their own, hungry with their children and worried about tomorrow.... hand to mouth every day. That’s what makes the measures difficult to apply.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Centre de Documentation" (in Haiatian Creole). Retrieved 28 April 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  2. ^ a b c "2 nouvo ka COVID-19 konfime ak yon (1) moun anplis ki geri nan peyi Dayiti" (PDF). mspp.gouv.ht.
  3. ^ "2 nouvo ka COVID-19 konfime ak yon (1) moun anplis ki geri nan peyi Dayiti" (PDF). mspp.gouv.ht. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  4. ^ Elsevier. "Novel Coronavirus Information Center". Elsevier Connect. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  5. ^ Reynolds, Matt (4 March 2020). "What is coronavirus and how close is it to becoming a pandemic?". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Archived from the original on 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Crunching the numbers for coronavirus". Imperial News. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  7. ^ "High consequence infectious diseases (HCID); Guidance and information about high consequence infectious diseases and their management in England". GOV.UK. Archived from the original on 3 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  8. ^ "World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists – Coronavirus". www.wfsahq.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  9. ^ a b c Johnston, Jake; Paulemon, Kira (1 April 2020). "COVID-19 in Haiti: the Current Response and Challenges". CounterPunch. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  10. ^ O'Hare, Maureen; Hardingham, Tamara (17 March 2020). "Coronavirus - Which countries have travel bans?". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Haiti declares emergency over coronavirus, imposes curfew, shuts borders". Reuters. 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Haiti reports its first coronavirus death". France24. 5 April 2020. Archived from the original on 5 April 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  13. ^ Rashid, Zaheena; Stepansky, Joseph (6 April 2020). "US braces for 'hardest week' in coronavirus fight: Live updates". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  14. ^ McLeod, Sheri-Kae (9 April 2020). "Haiti Warns Of Dangers Posed By Expansion Of Coronavirus". Caribbean National Weekly. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  15. ^ Macdonald, Isabel (12 April 2020). ""Irresponsible and Dangerous": U.S. Deports Haitians Despite Coronavirus Risks". The Intercept. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  16. ^ a b Paultre, Andre; Marsh, Sarah (15 April 2020). "Haiti to Reopen Textile Factories Despite Coronavirus Fears". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  17. ^ a b c Charles, Jacqueline (15 April 2020). "Haiti declares early victory over coronavirus, plans to reopen factories". Miami Herald. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  18. ^ a b Sprague, Jeb; St Fort, Nazaire (30 March 2020). "Haiti on the precipice as coronavirus and US-imposed leadership take their toll". The Grayzone. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  19. ^ a b Merlo, Francesca (9 April 2020). "Covid-19: Holy Week in poverty-stricken Haiti - Vatican News". Vatican News. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
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