After Devastating Earthquake Which Killed More Than 2,000, Worries Turn To COVID In Haiti
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - More than a week ago, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, killing more than 2,000 people. It was another devastating disaster to a country already facing another hurdle: the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We just went through our big spike with COVID. We had so many patients. Many do not make it through," said Stacy House, a doctor with Project MediShare. "It's very, very difficult to manage COVID here. We have limited ventilators."
CBS4's Brooke Shafer met House on the ground in Port-au-Prince.
House is one of the doctors treating injured men, women, and children brought to the capital from remote areas.
"I personally, am very nervous about the next wave. The delta variant that's hitting you guys in the States and all over. I'm worried for Haiti when that arrives here," said House, who is also a respiratory therapist by trade.
So far, Haiti has only received about 500,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and it needs many more.
Michele J. Sison, the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, said vaccination sites in the south were impacted by the earthquake. Because of that, the Ministry of Health has brought in mobile vaccination clinics and USAID is working to pass out masks and other PPE.
"Urban search and rescue, food, assistance, health, water sanitation, hygiene, logistics, transportation. So that's what our focus will be," said Tim Callaghan, a USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team Leader.
