Haiti and Covid 19

​Ever since May, I have read articles that tried to address the Covid 19 situation in Haiti. There were recorded cases. Articles presented the idea that the next two weeks in Haiti would be catastrophic...death...hospitals overwhelmed...chaos. May went by. June went by. July went by. Haiti has since opened its borders. Life is moving on. 

Many people here in town will tell me they had a fever a few months ago. They felt bad. They felt feverish. They couldn't smell or taste a thing. Then they got better. They only half believe that they had Covid 19. What doesn't make sense to them is that they did not die. No one they know died from Covid 19 either. How could it have been Covid 19, because Covid 19 is so deadly, right ? 

I have asked people this question : "If 100 people get Covid 19, how many will die from it ?" One young person guessed about 20.  Another suggested 75. Another suggested maybe 15 or so.  One educated young man said he thinks they would all die...100 out of 100. 

That is what they have been led to believe. Bad information leads to horrible predictions. Haiti is timidly back in school now (the first week of school in Haiti is only ever attended by about half of the students). Life will go on. 

Haiti is a beautiful, tough, fascinating place. It's lambasted often. Sometimes it is ahead of everyone else.  



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