Willemstad, July 28th, 2021 – As the COVID-19 numbers begin to tick upward again, the majority of patients treated for COVID-19 at Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) are not vaccinated. “COVID is here to stay,” said Dr. Esther Rooijakkers, infectious disease and internal medicine specialist at CMC. “If you want to protect yourself from serious illness, please get your vaccine.” Rooijakkers also said that most patients with severe COVID-19 have not gotten their shots. Currently, 7 patients are hospitalized of which 4 have been admitted to the Intensive Care unit.
According to Rooijakkers, taking the vaccine doesn’t guarantee 100% protection, but it certainly makes the chance of getting infected a lot smaller and also avoids the chance of severely illness. It also likely that it is the Delta variant that is causing the mild symptoms under the vaccinated group. Some of these symptoms include runny nose, throat ache, diarrhea, cough, muscle pain and fatigue.
While CMC continues to closely watch and prepare for every scenario, patient appointments, treatments and procedures continue as usual. It is advised to arrive 30 minutes prior to appointment to allow sufficient time to park and register. For those visiting loved ones, visitation hours are between 11am and 1pm and between 5pm and 7pm daily. Face mask, social distance and hand hygiene rules remain in place.
