The Ministry of Health is monitoring COVID-19 developments both nationally and internationally. Over the past period, it has become apparent in Suriname that there has been a slight increase in the number of hospital admissions of people who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus. There is an average hospitalization of ten people per week in October and three people have died.
Since the announcement of the omicron variant, seven to nine subvariants have been discovered. These subvariants are closely monitored by scientists.
Based on recent developments, the Outbreak Management Team (OMT) has recommended to the Ministry of Health to take preventive action as much as possible to prevent a COVID-19 infection. This means that it is still strongly advised to wear a mouth and nose cap when in a large crowd and in poorly ventilated areas. Practicing good hand hygiene is still highly recommended.
In the coming period, the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs will evaluate the entry policy. The ministry emphasizes that people who have not been vaccinated run a greater risk of serious illness and death and therefore recommends that this group still be vaccinated. In the coming period, work will also be done on having a batch of ‘new’ COVID vaccines available.