~ Medical Staff allegedly tested positive for COVID-19~
PHILIPSBURG:— A patient that has been hospitalized at the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) for an extended period of time passed away today from the COVID-19 virus.
The patient tested negative for the virus when he was admitted to SMMC for medical reasons unrelated to the coronavirus.
It is alleged that the patient got infected at SMMC since several of their staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.
SMN News contacted the Minister of VSA Omar Ottley for confirmation on the death of the patient who resides on one of the neighboring islands also asked if the SMMC informed him that at patient contracted the coronavirus after being admitted to the medical institution. Minister Ottley said that so far, he was not informed and that he also did not receive any written reports from the St. Maarten Medical Center.
France already made it mandatory for all medical staff to be vaccinated in order to protect their patients and while they are protests against the mandatory vaccines for healthcare workers and the COVID pass it is clear that the passes and mandatory vaccines for healthcare workers are to protect patients that are hospitalized.
Minister of Health Omar Ottley has been promoting the vaccination campaign ever since he took office while urging the community to get vaccinated since the Delta variant is attacking the unvaccinated.
Efforts made to reach the acting director of the St. Maarten Medical Center Felix Holiday on Sunday evening proved futile. SMN News will update this article whenever the Minister of Health Omar Ottley gets more information on the recent death as well as the infected medical staff that had contact with patients that are admitted in the medical and surgical ward of the St. Maarten Medical Center.
