WILLEMSTAD - Epidemiologist Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth repeated during the Report of the Day on Friday that of the 151 hospitalized patients, 149 were not or not fully vaccinated. That is more than 98 percent of hospital admissions in the period from July 22 to September 15.

The care for corona patients in the Curaçao medical center (CMC) costs about 3,000 guilders per day. The care in intensive care more than 5,000 guilders. The extra costs in the CMC have been more than 13.5 million guilders since 2019.

Gerstenbluth emphasizes the importance of vaccinations. He again calls on young people between the ages of thirteen and eighteen to get vaccinated. “Young people can be a major source of infection and spread the virus quickly,” said the epidemiologist. Of the more than 14,000 young people between the ages of twelve and eighteen, less than twenty percent have been fully vaccinated.

He explains that the elderly and vulnerable need extra protection against the virus. Of all corona infections, 80.5 percent were not fully vaccinated. “The vaccine is safe, protects you against infection and it prevents you from becoming seriously ill,” Gerstenbluth concludes.