Short but sharp! The National Communication Committee facilitated by Dr Kailesh Jagutpal only on Friday 10th September resulted in two important points, namely the revision of funeral protocols and the confirmation of a 3rd dose campaign of Sinopharm and other short-lived vaccines.
The task for funeral companies
Could the recent upheaval at the Bois Marchand Cemetery have borne its fruits? In any case, the High Level Committee is now in the process of moving the burial/cremation of Covid’s deceased patients to subcontracting. The funeral companies will be the ones to take care of the body, its removal from the mortuary, its preparation and burial/cremation. The Ministry of Health will offer a ‘crash course’ this Saturday 11 September and Sunday 12 September for those concerned. The training will focus on how to deal with these types of bodies affected by Covid, the respect of sanitary norms and above all, the respect of different customs. The bereaved families, who already have a life insurance policy, will be able to take care of their deceased and in the first instance, “the Ministry of Health will help families, who are not registered with funeral companies, and will entrust the burial of these families to these approved funeral companies” announced Dr Jagutpal. From next week, these companies will be able to take care of patients who died in hospital or in self-isolation.
All cemeteries open
Another change in funeral protocols is that the burial/cremation process can be carried out in any cemetery in the country. Bigarra and Bois Marchand are therefore no longer the two default sites.
3rd dose schedule in preparation
The Vaccination Committee is already working on a schedule for a third dose of the currently six-month-old Sinopharm vaccine. “This schedule will be available from next week and the first inoculated will be the first to be called,” said the Minister. The other vaccines administered in Mauritius are being studied for the continuity of the good vaccination campaign to the Mauritians.
Little Keira death is of concern to Dr Jagutpal
The Minister is very annoyed by this case. “It is not possible to provide two different death certificates for the same person. The two doctors will have to answer for this sad event. Two investigations have been opened, one in the health department and one in the police.” Little Keira Esther was admitted to the Dr A. G. Jeetoo Hospital for vomiting. She was weakened and was on an intravenous drip. She was tested positive for Covid during her stay. Her condition deteriorated and she was placed in the Intensive Care Unit, ICU. Unfortunately, she did not survive. 8 days after her admission, the little girl passed away. One death certificate has attributed her death to ‘Aspiration Pneumonia’ and a second to Covid 19. Her body could not be handed over to her family, according to health protocols. She was buried at the Bois-Marchand cemetery on Friday 10th September under strict protocols by the health authorities. During the press briefing, the Minister stated that the Ministry of Health has not recorded any deaths due to Covid 19 on babies or children. The total number of deaths due to Covid was 79, of which 32 were directly caused by Covid and 47 attributed to it. In terms of passengers, there were two, one of which was caused by Covid.
Figures and statistics
838,127 people are primo vaccinated, which is equivalent to more than 66% of the population, and 776,923 people have received their two doses, or 62% of the population. In Rodrigues, 22,429 people have received their first dose, equivalent to 52% of the population, and 16,869 have received both doses, equivalent to 39%.
Of the 46 patients admitted to ENT Hospital, one patient is on life support, two cases are serious, three other patients have mild symptoms and 40 cases are asymptomatic but have other health problems that warrant their admission to ENT in Vacoas. Regarding the future positive cases that are asymptomatic but linked to other medical conditions, the Minister announced that “the number of Covid-positive vaccinated is increasing but they are asymptomatic. They will be admitted to the wards specially set up for Covid-positive people.”
The country has recorded 3,573 positive cases of which 3,040 are vaccinated and asymptomatic. They are in self-isolation at home and are being monitored by the Home Monitoring Unit. The other 533 are in hospitals and quarantine centres.
The Vaccination Card goes digital
The vaccination card will soon be digitised and accessible on the beSafeMoris platform as soon as the forms are digitised. The Minister of ICT announced this at the end of the month at the occasion of the new Internet offers of Mauritius Telecom last Thursday in Pailles. Vaccinated persons and cardholders will only have to access their Digital Vaccination Passes as soon as they download the beSafeMoris application. Minister Balgobin also took the opportunity to announce the launch, scheduled for Thursday 16 September, of the Mokloud platform, that will put at the fingertips a digital version of important documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, driving licences and character certificates among others.
