(VI Consortium) Governor Albert Bryan told the Consortium Sunday his administration has ordered that more health care staff be provided to the Juan F. Luis Hospital as the medical facility — already in severe need of support and operating in a building soon to be abandoned — reported Sunday being at an “all-time high” with Covid-19 patients.
JFL said it had eighteen ill individuals receiving care as of Sunday. The hospital itself has published help wanted opportunities as it struggles to provide care with the rising number of patients. The government of the Virgin Islands, through the V.I. Dept. of Health, has a contract with Pafford Medical Services, which already has many employees in the territory supplementing the USVI’s strained healthcare infrastructure. The company says it offers all forms of pre and post hospital healthcare, “ranging from basic life support response to critical ground and air response.”
“We have ordered more help for JFL in terms or manpower,” Mr. Bryan said. The governor, well aware of the rising Covid numbers in the territory caused by the Delta variant, said the situation could have been be prevented if more people were vaccinated. “The numbers are very concerning and very unnecessary,” he said. “It’s a constant reminder that getting vaccinated is our lifeline to normalcy.”
