An Update from Fr.Rick on Covid-19

Dear friends,

In the practice of medicine, there is often a lag time between what you are dealing with, and when it shows up "on paper."

For example, a normal XRAY may trick a doctor to think there is no pneumonia, for the simple reason that the lung tissue has not yet shown the changes of the disease.

In a similar way, we are somewhat lagging behind announcing new variants of COVID in Haiti "on paper"- because we have been so busy meeting the challenges they bring.

We have, over the past week, had to expand the St Luke COVID center from 8 to 65 beds.

In April, May, and June of 2020, we had 120 functioning beds.

After that, the COVID trickled down.

We were never closed since June 2020, but we never needed more than 10 beds.

Now the dramatic upswing with 65 beds, and we expect that 120 beds will again soon be necessary.

The Haitian Ministry of Health has announced variants from Amazon region of Brazil, and from the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom itself is, according to the NY Times, taking measures against the variant in India that is causing enormous suffering and death.

I spent the morning at Cite Soleil, with Raphael, Fr David (from France), Fr Jean Baptiste (from Haiti) trying to evacuate the wounded from todays gang wars, waged for control of votes for upcoming elections, in this vast and populous area.These are not isolated events. A few days ago, such a gang war took place where the oxygen used for COVID patients is produced. This was a nightmare- we need 240 tanks per day at our current bed level.

So you see, the COVID now increases while we are already dealing with the plagues of political crisis, ongoing grinding poverty, crime and kidnapping.

The mainstay of COVID treatment is oxygen. After this there are important antibiotics, anticoagulants and immunosuppressants that are needed, as well as other treatments.

The oxygen alone is nearly $50/day/patient- and we are at 65 patients.

This message just confirms to you, and with you, our determination to stand with the people of Haiti come hell or high water.

Sadly, both of these come so very often.

We are very gratified by the rapid help we are getting, first of all in Haiti, to help us "share the care" for the unfortunate COVID sick, and from friends from abroad.

I will report on this help in detail before long. We are encouraged and empowered for the challenges ahead.

Part of this help has been in the form of vaccination: our medical and administrative staffs, who wanted the vaccine (including myself), are now fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine.

And just on time!

This is already a tremendous generosity from our many friends.

We count on your prayers and encouraging messages, and we are also always very grateful for any donation you can offer for this cause.

Online cash donations work well at StLukeHaiti.org.

Here is a way to help buy needed supplies:

https://smile.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/dl/invite/9cCWUB6?ref=cm_sw_em_r_un_un_LVvEi0VqIfbnS

We will keep you posted- maybe with some lag time, since we first act, before we speak or write.

God is always present, Provident and Wise. May we all feel God's blessing.

Fr Rick Frechette CP