COVID-19 Test Samples – Update No. 1

Belmopan. March 25, 2020. The Ministry hereby provides a report on an initial mapping exercise in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. The mapping exercise allowed the Ministry to test seven persons who were the immediate contacts of the index case. One immediate contact from those individuals resulted as a positive case. The patient is stable and has no signs or symptoms as of today. All other samples are negative. To date, there are two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Belize.

In addition, five other samples which were collected from two other districts all tested negative. As part of the ongoing enhanced surveillance, further tests which were collected today, March 25th, in San Pedro and other districts will be processed at the lab later today. The Ministry of Health will continue its enhanced public surveillance across the country.

The public is advised that the Central Medical Laboratory in Belize City is the only laboratory certified to test for COVID-19. Therefore, the public is urged to disregard and avoid sharing all unconfirmed, misleading and/or false information about COVID-19 cases. The Ministry will continue to provide accurate information to the public in a timely fashion.

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