Health Minister, Irving McIntyre, has said that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has given Dominica an 80% grade for its level of preparedness in the event that the Coronavirus enters Dominica’s borders.
“There is a check-list for PAHO, and PAHO actually gave us an 80% preparedness considering the fact that we are just restructuring our health system …but we keep adjusting to see how we can get to the highest level of preparedness,” McIntyre stated at a National Emergency Planning Organisation (NEPO) meeting held this week.
He said the government is currently gathering the necessary equipment and supplies with some already in stock and others on the way.
“At the moment in terms of our supplies, we have twenty thousand (20,000) surgical masks, that is of the normal surgical masks, in terms of the N-95 masks we have twelve thousand, eight hundred and forty (12,840),” the minister said. “We went a little further and we have actually ordered surgical masks an additional eight thousand (8,000) and in terms of the other with the loop, six thousand (6,000), surgical masks with a shield eight thousand (8,000) and isolation gowns five thousand (5,000).”
McIntrye revealed that, at present, the country has close to a thousand (1,000) isolation gowns and one thousand two hundred normal gowns (1,200).
Two hundred (200) personal protective kits are also available.
He also stated that the government has printed three thousand (3,000) alert cards which are placed in public areas such as schools and banks.
“We also have these cards in Spanish and French, so when you get the cards the information is there,” McIntyre noted.
According to the minister, educational sessions continue at all primary and preschools around the island as well as nursing homes and business places in the city including the National Bank of Dominica (NBD), National Cooperative Credit Union Ltd (NCCU) and the Dominica Social Security (DSS).
“A country can never be 100% prepared…we try to be as prepared as possible, even the develop countries cannot prevent the virus from entering their shores let alone developing countries like ours,” he added.
Meantime, the health minister noted that a country could have all the fancy equipment in the world but “the basic step in fighting this virus begins with hand hygiene.”
“We have to start with the simplest approach which is, making sure we have proper hand hygiene when we cough in the public, when we sneeze in the public… these are the little basic things that you and I can do that actually don’t cost anything,” McIntyre stressed.
https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/dominica-to-be-first-caribbean-country-able-to-test-for-coronavirus-according-to-health-minister/
Now this concerns me – so far we have had about 9 cases in the caribbean and none of the testings were done in Dominica. Tests were done in Martinique, Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica. So how are we to believe what you are saying.
This don’t sound right
What I would like to ask the Minister are prevention measures part of our 80% preparation. From what I know, there are persons coming in from other countries infected and they are not placed in self quarantined for the 14 days.
Boats that are rejected are welcomed. Are they trying to test our health waters to see how resilient we are. One case is too much. Italy cannot even contain even with a country lock down.
Why don’t the Ministry of Health call community meetings and have persons interact and ask questions. Ministry of Education should meet with parents and teachers at PTA. Discuss their plans. We just have to agree to disagree.
BUT ARE WE REALLY READY???????
https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-least-prepared-for-pandemic-coronavirus-outbreak-2020-3
I am concerned.
Mr Minister did you see this https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-least-prepared-for-pandemic-coronavirus-outbreak-2020
Well Doc. with that small population and that Large cabinet and Technocrats….Dominica should get 100%.
This Government cannot be trusted. I hope you don’t give Dominica a Heads about the cases of Corona in Dominica like you gave a heads up about Ross the same day their doors opened in Barbados.
Stop saying things to make yourselves competent when you are really not. Be true to the people.
Please take note that Italy is on lock down. The quoted mortality rate of Corona is 2%. In Italy, there are 2000 cases but 366 deaths, giving us a mortality rate of 366/2000 x 100 of 18.3% (Admin please take note, I hate to feel like a prophet)! This thing is no game, it is serious.
I am appealing to the powers that be PLEASE CLOSE OUR BORDERS, WE CANNOT AFFORD TO ALLOW THIS SCOURGE INTO OUR COUNTRY. WE WOULD BE UNABLE TO COPE. OUR BEST FORM OF DEFENCE IS PREVENTION.
You may argue about the economic ramifications and that is where forward planning becomes important, not lies. I suspect that in 2 months, as summer emerges, the world will have this condition under control and there will be a return to a semblance of normalcy.
If we are able to stock pile resources for two more months we would go a long, long way towards saving Dominica. We can do it Dominica, if we try, as per Black Starling but let our planning be inclusive, all hands on deck!!
@Ras B,
Who the hell you think you’re trying to tell our top medical experts close our borders have you heard of any Covid-19 in Dominica? That’s the trouble with some black people they are all experts in everything there’s when given the job to do they would turn out to be useless and arrogant 😫🤠
This is not correct. Infections in Italy are already above 10000.
On January 29, 2020, we were told by the same minister of health that D/ca has things under control and the MOH has been on top of this ‘GAME’ for a while now. Today six weeks later we are told that we are only 80% prepared!!
In that same address on January 29, we were told of the API, March 5,last week it was reintroduced to us as a novel idea! In your own words, He further explained that before anyone is to arrive at Dominica’s ports of entry, “through technology we actually know where they are coming from.”
Why the disrespect Irvine? Do you believe that our memories are that poor? Do you think that the truth is too good for us? or is it that you have a penchant for disrespecting the Dominican people?
In your own words Irvine, you consider what you are doing a game!! May I remind you that being the Minister of Health is not a game and with it comes a level of maturity and responsibility. Irvine realise your incompetence and step down, admit you have not been trained for…
….We should be hearing the report fro. PAHO or at list reading a link to the original report for reference………. Why would you talk about 80% like it is a barge of honor. Let me put it in perspective. Would you fly on a plane that the mechanic just told you he just completed 80% of repairs? Ok roseau river was just poisoned and we put 80 percent of the barrier to stop poison from flowing. How much poison you actually stopping? Mr minister an incomplete job in this circumstances is a false sense of security. If you plan on stopping a contaminant or a virus you either 100% ready or not ready. If you cannot be 100% stop giving a false sense of security.
LIESSSSSS!!!!!!!!
Borders should be closed down!!!!
Wow,countries who can do open heart surgeries, travel to space, lunch satellites struggling to manage it…. but Dominica is able to do so says politician … and the dominican people eat that up….
No one can prepare for it,just as sure as you’ll get a cold your chances are that high.
Garçon, I’m a simple fellow but I do not believe you can be 80% dead, can you? And tell me doctor how many icu beds that work fully does the hospital have?
ICU BEDS? Those people already say do not come to the hospital if you have flu like conditions call a hotline. Can you imagine. what is this saying? Stay at your home and die do not come with your sickness by me. That is the kind of attitude we have in the health care system at that PMH.
Whilst we are to contain and prevent the spread are we not suppose to provide medical care for the citizens of Dominica? HOTLINE? All these nurses and Doctors want to ensure is that they get paid keep all the medical supplies for themselves and who they want and keep their white outfits clean. The US China every where making provision to serve as many persons as possible here in Dominica the health care system could care less. but then again THEY ARE NOT PREPARED SO GOING TO PMH WOULD BE A WASTE. All day long SOME of these people sit LAUGHING TALKING IGNORING PATIENTS like is a social activity doing nothing whilst they get paid. Dominica alone.
Why do we continue to embarrass Dominica? Irvine which other country on planet earth you hear or see talking about the number of face mask they have? Please do not mislead, The face masks are not as protective as they seem. The windows on the sides represent apertures through which the virus can gain access to your respiratory tract for which it has a particular affinity. What does 80% state of preparedness suppose to mean to us, the little man on the street? The UK already has 5 dead, 80% would account for how many bodies?
You spoke of the virus reaching our shores, the only way the virus is able to reach us is by it being brought to the country. I have been pleading with you for more activity at the ports and preventing individuals from hot spot areas from entering the country but you continue to ignore my counsel at your own risk.
Irvine, Dominica would be best able to fight corona if it is not allowed in the country, so all the folly about degree of readiness is just that,…
I firmly believe we have nothing ti fear. We are the nature Isle. We just need to go back to iur roots. The herbs etc and corona cannot touch us..the other cou tries are into too much processed food so anything will throw the down..we are a resilient pepple..and a praying country. No corona so fear no more no corona in DA. What we say is what we get. Lets believe . No Corona…our God is bigger than corona.
I want to comment but I suspect DNO maybe infected with coronavirus so they ignoring our comments so let me not waste time
I would like to hear PAHO late response to our issue with infant mortality.
Right now you trying to fool us into thinking that Dominica more prepared than de US.
De hospital in Goodwill is still at phase 1!!!!
De secretary general of PAHO never commented on the infant mortality rates in Dominica.
Even Dr tell us mask is irrelevant.
Skerrit first move was to donate masks to China…..we are just second class.
You painting a very clear picture.
Personally if you were not in politics people would have more trust in you….you are just a clapper
I bet you never saw that coming….. you would have stayed away from Skerrit and his politricks
…. As a health care professional you doing and saying more to push me away from your office.
So do you have health care professional at de Frontline taking temperature of foreigners coming through the bayfront and de airport?
DNO can the Health Officials provide the general public with the hotline number to call in case the public needs to report a traveler coming into Dominica from an infected country. This number needs to be publicized.
….It would be good to know what exactly the 80% grade corresponds to on this particular rubric they are using ie whether it means Good, Poor, Better than Average……etc; Not all 80% grades necessarily mean the same thing eh. In some courses out there, a 80% grade is a C grade or even an F grade (as in a particular technical course I’m aware of in a certain place).
Put it simple. When you go buy a disinfectant like Lysol you look at the back and it says kills 99.9% off germs. They dont say 100% because that would be a gurantee and not all users apply the same so they keeping lawyers away. Would you buy a disinfectant that kills only 80% of germs? Most people wouldn’t because it is pointless. The doctor is going give you antibiotics to treat 80% of your infections and you wondering why you still sick.
I’m impressed. This is an excellent start.
You are one of many in DA that are easily impressed. Somebody throws you a dollar and you are impressed. See general election in 12/2019…
I guess you also believe in fairies and Father Christmas. Honestly, some of our people are easily satisfied. Just give them a bauble and they happy like Larry.
Please I would like to know how many test kits that you all have and what are the symptoms stop making yourself like a fool china don’t know what to do and most of da donations come from China usa don’t even know what to do how the he’ll you can tell me a third world country 80 percent prepared …
Based on your previous ‘economy with the truth’ I would have preferred to see this statement from PAHO in writing. A few masks, a few gowns and an even smaller number of personal protection kits don’t make a country prepared to deal effectively with this virus. The country has no faith in either you or your boss to handle this correctly. After all here is bit more required than selling passports and then hiding the majority of the proceeds from the public eye.
Never mind the 80 percent. It is the 20 percent I am worried about. If the Health Minister’s aim was to give the Dominican a feeling of comfort and reassurance then yours truly remains unconvinced!!!
As with with every other health crisis, I will continue to follow common sense practices and prescribed protocols while continuing to look to the Most High for cover and protection.
Mr McIntyre I only have one question for you: Sir, is coronavirus on our shores? In other words, does anyone in Dominica have coronavirus? Let’s forget about how prepared we are and instead tell us where we. We were 100% ready for Maria but the moment the winds came we all saw how prepared and ready we were
Maybe PAHO grade starts at 80% to mean very bad. So 83% in that case would still be very bad. By the way, is the person in charge of PAHO has any ties to Dominica or the DLP?